Heir Of Prince
by JasonMorganfan87
Summary: Takes place in book seven. After visiting Gringotts, Harry learns a shocking truth about his parentage. How will he react to learing his parents aren't who he thought they were and are in fact those he considered the enemy?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of its characters.**

**Heir Of Prince**

Harry woke up in Ron's room with a start. He'd just had a dream about Dumbledore's murder. He'd been dreaming about it a lot. He kept wondering if he could've done something to stop Snape.

_Snape,_ he thought with disdain. The more he thought about his former teacher, the angrier he got. Snape murdered Dumbledore. Dumbledore trusted Snape, and the man killed him. The worst part was that it seemed Snape was getting away with it. The ministry was pretty much saying that there was no proof that he was guilty. As if Harry's word shouldn't be enough. Not that he was surprised. The ministry had never listened to him before, why should they start now?

Harry sighed and decided to let those thoughts go for now. There was no use thinking about it now. He couldn't do anything about it. He got up out of bed and ventured downstairs, where he was immediately greeted by Mrs. Weasley.

"Harry, dear, Happy birthday," Molly said, hugging him briefly.

Today was Harry's birthday. He was seventeen and legally an adult in the wizarding world. "Thanks, Mrs. Weasley,"

"You got a letter, Harry," Ron said from the kitchen table.

Harry went and sat next to Ron, who handed him the letter. He began reading it.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_Your presence is requested at Gringotts wizarding bank to discuss your accounts and inheritance. Please come by at your earliest convenience._

_The goblins of Gingrotts_

Harry put the letter down on the table. He wondered if he should go. It wasn't exactly safe for him to go out in public right now. Voldemort had his death eaters looking for him all the time. The letter itself might be a trick to draw him out.

"Harry what is it?" Hermione asked from across the table. She could tell that her friend was deep in thought.

"It's from Gringotts. They want to see me. Something about an inheritance. I'm not sure if it's not a trick though," Harry said.

"I'd wager that it's not, Harry," Arthur said. You're seventeen today. You should receive your inheritance today."

"Still, is it even safe for me to go over there?" Harry asked.

"Not alone. You'd need a couple order members to go with you, and you should be disguised," Arthur said.

"Do I even need to go? Is it really important now?" Harry asked. Given the situation, he really didn't think it mattered.

"It is. If you don't claim what's yours, it'll go to someone else with the same bloodline. Maybe someone you don't want to have that kind of power," Arthur explained.

Harry knew what Mr. Weasley meant. His inheritance could end up going to someone with the slightest drop of Potter blood. It could end up being someone like the Malfoy's. That wasn't an option. "Alright."

"I'll go with you and we can get Kingsley Shacklebolt to come as well," Arthur said.

"Okay. I'll go get ready," Harry said before getting up and heading upstairs

Xxxxxxxxxxx

A few hours later Harry walked into Gringotts with Mr. Weasley and Shacklebolt. He looked a bit different though. He'd modified his hair color and length, so that he wouldn't be recognized. He know had light brown hair with bangs to cover his scar.

"Can I help you?" one of the goblins asked as they approached the counter.

"I'm Harry Potter. I was sent a letter about my inheritance," Harry whispered.

"Come with me," the goblin said before leading him into a back room, where another goblin was sitting. "He says he's Harry Potter."

"You don't look like Harry Potter," the goblin said.

Harry recognized him as the goblin that saw to his needs before first year, Griphook. "It isn't exactly safe for me to go around looking the way I'm supposed to these days." He then removed the glamour.

"Have a seat, Mr. Potter," Griphook said.

Harry sat down on the other side of the desk. Arthur and Shacklebolt stayed where they were. "So what is this about inheritance?" Harry asked.

"Well, Mr. Potter, you are now of age. You will be given access to everything in your family's vaults. You also have a head position now," Griphook explained.

"So I'll be named head the Potter family now or something?" Harry asked.

"No, Mr. Potter. You aren't being named head of House of Potter. You're being named head of House of Prince."


	2. Chapter 2

Harry gaped in shock. How could he be heir of the Prince family. He wasn't even apart of that family. That was Snape's family. It had absolutely nothing to do with him. "Did you say Prince family? How is that possible. I have nothing to do with that family."

"You must. You wouldn't be able to inherit otherwise," Griphook said.

"Well, there must be some mistake," Harry said.

Griphook glared at him. "Gringott's doesn't make mistakes Mr. Potter, or should I said Lord Prince."

"How is this possible?" Harry asked.

"I must have been adopted. It would explain why you aren't being given the title of Lord Potter. You see, only a blood family member can get that title. You've inherited a huge chunk of the fortune, but not everything. With the Prince fortune, you've inherited everything. It's all yours. The entire fortune, the properties, everything," Griphook explained.

"Could somebody please tell me how the bloody hell this could be?" Harry asked. He was getting frustrated. He didn't understand any of this.

Arthur walked over to him. "Harry, the thing you have to understand is that in the wizarding world, Pureblood fortunes go to the first of the previous heir after he dies, if there is one that is. At least that's the way it's supposed to work. I'm not sure what is happening here now. Severus Snape is still alive, so he should still inherit. Unless he's not the first son of the previous heir."

"He is. Severus Snape is the first and only son of Eileen Prince, who was the heir until she died," Griphook said. "However, after finding out his daughter married a muggle, Sebastian Prince was able to put something into affect. His grandson could inherit, but if he ever had a son with pureblood witch, that boy would inherit on his seventeenth birthday."

"Wait a second here. Are you telling me that that murdering son of a bitch is my father?" Harry asked. The very thought of it made his skin crawl. He did not want to be that bastard's son.

"I'm telling you that Severus Snape is indeed your father. Whatever else he is, isn't my concern," he said.

Harry angrily got up and crossed the room. He couldn't believe this. He was the son of a death eater. A murderer. He hated this. Snape killed Dumbledore. The last thing Harry wanted to be was the man's son.

Arthur approached Harry and put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Harry. I know you don't want this, but listen, Just because Severus Snape is your father, it doesn't mean you have to be like him. I know everyone is always telling you how much you're like your father, but it's not true. You're not James Potter and you're not Severus Snape."

Harry turned around and shook his head. "No. This can't be true. It just can't be."

"I'm afraid it is, Lord Prince," Griphook said.

"Please, don't call me that. That is not who I am," Harry said.

"I'm afraid it is, Harry." Arthur said. He knew the boy was upset, but he couldn't afford to live in denial right now.

"No, it's not possible," Harry said before approaching Griphook. "Griphook, you said that for me to inherit before Snape's death, my mother would have to be a pureblood."

"That's correct."

"She wasn't. My mother was a muggle born," Harry said.

"That can't be. Your mother would have to be a pureblood. You must be mistaken," Griphook said.

"No, my relatives are muggles," Harry insisted.

"It's possible that your mother was adopted, Harry. Or you could've been adopted yourself," Arthur told him.

Harry thought about it, and immediately nixed it. Dumbledore told him that he was protected at the Dursley's because of blood words. If he or his mother were adopted, that meant Dumbledore lied to him. Dumbledore would've had to know when he set up the blood wards. Harry refused to believe that Dumbledore would just leave him there for no good reason. "No, that can't be."

"Alright, Harry. First things first. We know that you are Severus Snape's son. You will have to accept that fact, and accept what has been given to you. Everything else can wait," Arthur said.

"How can I? I hate that bastard! He's a killer," He said. He didn't want this. He wished he'd ignored that letter.

"Harry, you don't have to like him. You're of age, so you don't have to have anything to do with him. You do have to accept who he is to you though. Your status in this world has changed. You have to claim what is yours. It'll give you significant power, which will help you in this war," Arthur explained.

Harry didn't want to do it. Accepting that he was the Prince heir meant accepting that he was also the son of that bastard, Snape. He didn't seem to have a choice though. He wasn't getting out of this. As much as he hated it, it seemed Snape was his father. "Alright. Let's just get this over with. I want to get out of here.

"Of course. Follow me, Lord Prince," Griphook said.

Harry cringed at the title, but followed him out without a word.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: This story disregards most of the things in book Seven**

Arthur and Harry walked into the Burrow and found Ron, Hermione, and Molly waiting for them. "Hey, how did it..." Hermione started, but was cut off when Harry immediately ran upstairs.

"What happened, Arthur?" Molly asked her husband.

"Harry had a rough day. He learned some things at Gringotts that he didn't expect," Arthur answered.

"What is it? What did he learn?" Ron asked.

Arthur hesitated. He wasn't sure he should be disclosing Harry's private business to the others. On the other hand though, Harry was going to need the people who cared about him to help him through this, and he probably didn't want to have to explain it all himself. "It seems Harry' parents aren't who he thought they were."

"What happened? Did he find something out about them that he didn't know before?" Hermione asked.

"Not exactly. I meant it in the literal sense. It seems James Potter was not Harry's father," Arthur said.

"What? How is that possible?" Hermione asked surprised.

"That's still unclear. What we do know, however, is that Harry's father isn't James Potter. He didn't inherit the Potter fortune. He inherited the Prince fortune," he said.

"Prince? That's Snape's family," Ron said. Harry had told them after Dumbledore died. Harry couldn't be related to Snape.

"That's correct, Ron. Severus Snape is Harry's father," Arthur said.

Hermione gasped and brought her hand to her mouth. This had to be killing Harry. He would hate being Snape's son, especially after watching him kill Dumbledore.

"Are you sure about this, Arthur?" Molly asked.

"Positive. Gringotts doesn't make mistakes like this. Harry is Snape's son. He is Lord Prince."

"How did he take it?" Molly asked. She knew it couldn't be good. She knew how Harry felt about Severus Snape.

"Better than one would expect, but still not well. He was in denial for awhile there. I think that wore off when he officially took over as Lord Prince. Now he's angry. Really angry," Arthur said.

As if on cue, there heard things being thrown and broken from upstairs.

"We should go check on him," Hermione said.

"No, give him some time. He needs some time for this all to sink in," Arthur said.

"If he's alone too long, he might do something stupid, like go find Snape," Hermione said. That would end in disaster. Harry could end up getting himself killed if he did that.

"Just give him a few minutes, Hermione. Let him calm down first," Arthur said.

Hermione sighed. "Alright."

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Harry sat on Ron's bed looked at the mess he'd made. Everything Ron owned was smashed or on the floor somewhere. He knew it was wrong for him to destroy his friend's things, but he'd just been so angry. He really just wanted to kill Snape, but since he wasn't there, he decided to take it out on everything in front of him.

Harry looked up and saw Ron and Hermione in the doorway. "Sorry, Ron. I'll fix everything, I swear."

"It's alright, Mate. That's what Magic is for," Ron said before he and Hermione went over and sat next to him on the bed.

"Are you alright, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"No. I hate Severus Snape," Harry said angrily.

"I know,"

"I mean, I really hate him. He's a death eater. A murderer. And I'm a murderer's son," he said. He couldn't get it out of his head. His father was a man who killed people. His followed the man that tried to kill him.

"You're not like him, Harry. He's the murderer, not you," Hermione told him.

"Doesn't matter. I've been named Lord Prince. It won't be long before the world know the truth. Before they see me as the son of the man that murdered Albus Dumbledore," Harry said. He usually didn't care about what people thought of him, but this time he did. He didn't want anyone to know that he was related to that monster.

"Harry, everyone you know will know that you're nothing like Professor Snape. They won't turn against you, Nothing has to change." Hermione assured him.

"That's not exactly true, Hermione," Ron said. "Harry's a Lord now. He carries a lot of power and a lot of responsibilities now. His life won't be the same after today."

"I don't think he needs to hear that right now, Ron," Hermione lectured.

"No, it's alright, I've already heard it. I've got a fortune I don't want, and a father I hate," Harry said.

Hermione put a hand on Harry's shoulder to comfort him. "It's going to be alright, Harry."

"You know, if this happened just a year ago, I would've been alright with it," Harry said.

"Really?" Ron asked surprised. Harry had always hated Snape. The man treated him like dirt since they'd started Hogwarts.

"Yeah. I've always wanted a living parent. I would've accepted anyone, even Snape. Hell, would've even accepted Lucius Malfoy if necessary. But knowing that Snape killed Dumbledore... I hate him for that," Harry said with fury in his eyes.

"There's something I don't understand. How can you be Lord Prince when Snape is still alive?" asked a confused Ron.

"It was something my great grandfather put into affect. He wanted the family run by a pureblooded wizard, so if one ever became available, he would take control on his seventeenth birthday," Harry explained.

"But, Harry, you're not a pureblood. Your mother was a muggleborn and your father a halfblood. That makes you a halfblood as well," Hermione told him.

"The goblins at Gringotts are saying that my mother must have been a pureblood," he said.

"How is that possible?" Hermione asked.

"They think that either my mother was adopted, or that Lily Potter wasn't really my mother," Harry said skeptically. He still refused to believe it. It couldn't be true.

"You don't believe them?" Ron asked.

"I can't. Because if that's true, then Dumbledore lied to me," Harry said.

"What do you mean?" asked Hermione.

"Dumbledore told me that I had to live with the Dursley's because of blood wards. If mother or I were adopted, blood wards wouldn't work. Either way, I wouldn't have my aunt's blood," Harry explained.

"Maybe Dumbledore didn't know," Hermione tried. She didn't even believe it as they said it. Dumbledore wasn't dumb. He had to know.

Harry gave her a 'yeah right' look. "We're talking about Dumbledore. Do you really think he didn't know?"

They were all silent for a moment. No one knew what to say. Finally, Hermione spoke. "I think you should find out one way or the other what happened. You need to know, Harry. You might have other family that you could get to know."

"Or I could find out that my family is all dead, and that the man I trusted the most in this world lied to me and left me with abusive relatives," Harry said. He wasn't sure he wanted to know. Right now, he was thinking that the lie was better than the truth.

"Harry, can you really live without knowing the truth? Yes, you might not like the answers you get, but at least you'll know. Isn't that what you've always wanted? To know the truth?" she asked.

Harry sighed. "Yeah. You're right, I need to know one way or the other who my mother was and who her family was." Hermione was right. He couldn't live without knowing for sure what happened. He had to find the truth, even if hated it.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Harry went downstairs to find everyone was already in the kitchen. "Good morning, Harry. Did you sleep alright?" Molly asked.

"As well as anyone could sleep after finding out their father is a homicidal maniac," Harry replied before going to sit down at the table.

"Have you decided what you're going to do, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah. I need to talk to my aunt," Harry said. As much as he loathed the idea of going to see the Dursleys, his aunt would probably know if his mother was adopted.

"Are you sure about that, mate? You just got away from those people," Ron said.

"Believe me, I have no desire to talk to her, but she might know if my mother is adopted. Besides, it's better than talking to Snape," Harry said.

"You think he would know anything about this?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know what that bastard knows. I don't want to know either. I don't want anything to do with him," Harry said before turning to Mr. Weasley. "So can it be arranged for me to see my aunt?"

"Of course. I'll see if the order can't arrange for you to see your relatives this afternoon," Arthur said.

Harry smiled at him appreciatively. "Thanks."

Xxxxxxxxxxx

A few hours later, Harry found himself standing with Mr. Weasley outside a small house that was supposed to be holding his relatives.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Harry?" Arthur asked. Somehow he didn't think the truth would bring Harry any peace.

"That I want to do this? No. But I have to. I need to know the truth about my family, even if I hate it," Harry said. He'd given it a lot of thought after speaking to his friends. He couldn't live without knowing. Even if the truth was painful, he needed to know. "Let's do this."

Arthur nodded and rang the doorbell.

A second later, the door opened by Petunia. "You! I thought we got rid of you for good."

Harry decided to ignore her bitterness. "Hello, Aunt Petunia. I need to talk to you."

"What else could we possibly have to say to each other?" Petunia asked irritably.

Harry was about to respond, but was interrupted by Arthur. "We should take this inside. It isn't safe to be talking out here."

"Fine," Petunia said before stepping aside to let them in. She then closed the door behind them. "So what do you want?"

"I need to know about my mother," Harry said.

"What about her?" she asked impatiently.

"Was my mother adopted?" Harry asked directly. He figured it was best to just get to the point. The smallest amount he had to spend with his aunt the better.

"What?" Why would ask something like that, you idiot? Of course she's wasn't adopted," Petunia said.

"Are you sure?" Harry asked.

"Do you really think I would've taken you in if you weren't my blood?" Petunia asked.

"Well, maybe you didn't know," He said.

"I was there when she was born. She was not adopted. Anymore stupid questions?" Petunia asked irately.

"Did you see my mother after she got pregnant?" Harry asked. He was hoping she'd know if he were adopted.

"The last time I'd seen her was when she left for school for her final year," Petunia replied.

"Harry nodded. "Thank you." He then walked out the door with Arthur close behind.

"I'm sorry you didn't get the answers you were looking for, Harry?" Arthur said.

"I got some of them. My mother wasn't adopted. I was," Harry said. He was pretty overwhelmed. It seemed that everything he ever believed was a lie. Lily and James Potter weren't his parents. Ever since he was a boy, he was told that his parents were Lily and James Potter. He'd been told that he looked like them. How much like them he was. Now it seemed that all of that had been a lie.

"Maybe your aunt is wrong," Arthur said. He didn't really believe it, but he wanted to give Harry something to hold onto.

"No. It's not. Like she said, she was there when her sister was born. Lily wasn't my mother. So who was?" Harry asked to no one in particular.

"I can only think of one person who might know the answer," Arthur said.

Harry looked at him. He knew who the man was talking about. "No, I'm not asking Snape. If I'm even in the same room with that man, I'll probably kill him."

"Then how do you expect to find out who your mother was?" Arthur wondered.

"If Dumbledore knew the truth, he might have left something behind. Something that can I answer all my questions. I need to go to Hogwarts."

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Severus Snape walked through Gringotts and went up to one of the counters. "I'm here to make a withdrawal from the Prince accounts," he said before handing the goblin his key.

"This won't work for those vaults anymore," the goblin said.

"What are you talking about?" Severus asked.

"A new hear has been found for your family's fortune, Mr. Snape. Right now, he's the only one that can make a withdrawal," the goblin explained.

Severus was shocked. How could another heir have been found. He was the heir to his family. No one else could take that that spot before his death unless... "Who is it?"

"That's confidential."

"The only way anyone could take my place as Lord Prince is if I had a pureblood son. I have had only one child that could possibly fit that bill, and he was taken from me. I have the right to know where and who he is," Severus said. He'd always known he had a son. A son that had been ripped away from him not long after his birth. For awhile he thought the child dead. Now he knew the boy was alive, but he had no idea who he was or where he was.

"Rules are rules, Mr. Snape. Your son is an adult. If he wishes for you to know where he is, he will find you," He said.

"Tell me where he is!" Severus demanded in the most intimidating voice he could muster. He knew it was a bad idea to antagonize a goblin, but he didn't care. He'd waited seventeen years to see his son. He didn't want to wait another day.

"I cannot. Now back away before I have you removed," the goblin threatened.

Severus had no choice. He had to do what the goblin said. Goblin magic was extremely powerful. They could kill him if they wanted. He reluctantly walked out of the bank, vowing to do whatever it took to find his son.


	5. Chapter 5

Severus was sitting in his office in deep thought when he noticed Minerva in the doorway. "What?"

"What are you doing here? You're not welcome here," Minerva said coldly as she approached his desk.

"Yes, well, there's nothing you can do about it. You can't terminate me without cause," Severus said smugly. On the inside though, he was taking no pleasure in this. He hated speaking to Minerva this was, just as he hated what he did to Albus.

"You murdered the headmaster. That sounds like a good reason to me," Minerva said.

"The ministry disagrees. You can't fire me for something I wasn't charged with," Severus said.

"Potter saw you. We all know you're guilty as sin. I don't what the ministry says. You did it, and I will not rest until you're sacked from this place," Minerva vowed.

"Good luck with that,"Severus said before looked down to review his lesson plans.

"Albus was right to do what he did," Minerva muttered as she said as she started towards the door.

Severus heard her. "And what exactly did the headmaster do?

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Harry was sitting at the headmaster's desk looking through his drawers. He was hoping to something to do with his parents, but instead all he found was a bunch of muggle candy. He angrily closed the drawers. "There's gotta be something here.

Harry then noticed Dumbledore's pensive. He got up and walked over to it. If Dumbledore knew anything, there was a good chance it would be in his memories. Harry slowly stepped through the pensive. He viewed quite a few memories before he found one that looked interesting.

Harry got closer and saw Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall standing outside of a house. Dumbledore had a baby in his arms.

"_Albus, this is wrong on so many levels. You've kidnapped a child. Not only is it illegal, it's inhuman. You've stolen someone else's child," Minerva said._

"_Believe me, Minerva, I take no pleasure in this. Do you really think I want to hurt Severus like this? I must do it though. This child could very well be the child of the prophecy. Once the world finds out, they must think that he is the son of a light family. It is the only way they will trust him to save them," Dumbledore explained "This is for the greater good."_

"_And what if you're wrong? What if he's not the chosen one? Are you going to kidnap every child that could stop You Know Who?" Minerva asked._

_Dumbledore shook her head. "The only other child that fits the prophecy is the Longbottom child. The Longbottoms are a light family, so their son will be trusted by the public._

"_And if Neville Longbottom is the child of the prophecy? That will mean you've stolen a child from his family for nothing," Minerva said._

"_I realize that. I know that this seems horrific, but it is necessary. It is for the good of the wizarding world," Dumbledore insisted._

"_Will Severus agree if he finds out? Will this child agree when he's old enough to understand what you did? She asked._

"_That is why they can never know,"Dumbledore said._

"_And what will you tell the Potter's?" _

"_The same thing I'm telling you now. That this is for the greater good. James will understand, and he will convince Lily. Besides, they've been wanting a child for awhile now. They will welcome this baby._

"_I hate this. It's wrong," Minerva said._

"_I know, but it's necessary."_

Harry pulled himself out of the pensive as quick as he could. He then backed away from it in shock. He couldn't believe what he'd just seen. It destroyed every single thing he'd ever known about Dumbledore and McGonagall were nothing but lies. He thought they were good, honest, decent people. That was the biggest lie of all. There was nothing decent about either of them

Harry made his way to the chair in front of Dumbledore's desk and collapsed in it. He brought his hand to his forehead and started breathing heavily. Everything he'd ever believed had just been ripped away from him. His parents, his faith in the people he was supposed to be able trust, it was all gone. The only thing he knew for sure now was that he knew nothing for sure

When he thought about it, he could see it all so clearly. Every lie, every manipulation. Dumbledore had been screwing with his life since his birth. He wondered how many knew about it. Was it just Dumbledore and McGonagall, or were there others involved? There was only one way to find out?

Harry got up and headed towards the door. He was going to find McGonagall and get the truth. He didn't care what he had to do, he was going to make her tell him the truth for once.


	6. Chapter 6

Minerva snapped her mouth shut when she realized what she'd done. She hadn't meant for Severus to hear what she'd said. She thought she'd said it quietly to herself. She needed to find a way rectify the situation. Severus could never find out that Harry was his son. It would be disastrous for Harry.

"Well? What did you mean when you said Albus was right to do what he did? What exactly did he do?" Severus asked. His interests were definitely peaked. It was obvious that it had something to do with him. Minerva wouldn't have said it the way she did if it weren't.

Minerva glared at Severus. "I don't owe you an explanation."

"But you'll give me one. Because you know I won't let it go until you do," Severus said.

Minerva got nervous. She knew Severus meant that. He would dig until he found out the truth. She couldn't let that happen. If he knew the truth about Harry, he would use it to hurt the boy one way or another. He would either turn the boy over to the dark lord, or he would try to turn him. "Everything Albus did was right. Everything accept for trusting you."

Severus eyed her suspiciously. He knew she was hiding something. The way she spoke, it was like she was trying to cover something. He knew she wouldn't admit it though. As a slytherin, he knew it was better to act like he bought it, and find out on his own. "If you say so. Get out."

Minerva inwardly breathed a sigh of relief and then walked out the door.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

When Minerva walked into her office, she found Harry Potter sitting at her desk. "Potter, what are you doing here?"

Harry didn't say anything at first. He simply took off the Prince family ring that laid on his finger and showed it to his former head of house. "You see this, Professor. Do you know what it is?"

Minerva did recognize it. It was something most heads of families. Harry must have gotten it from the Potter family vault, though she wasn't sure how. Those kind of things were only given to blood heirs. "It's a Lord ring. Did you get it from the Potter family vault."

"No," Harry said, a bit of anger showing through his voice. "You see, I got summoned to Gringotts the other day. They wanted to talk to me about an inheritance. Imagine my surprise when I get down there and find out that the fortune I'm inheriting isn't Potter. It's Prince."

The color drained from Minerva's face. Harry knew the truth. He knew that Severus was his father. This was not good.

"That's right. Severus Snape, hated potions master and death eater, is my father. Well, you can imagine my disgust at finding out that little piece of information."

"Harry..." Minerva started.

"Wait, it gets better," Harry said. "So I'm down sitting in the bank, completely floored, and I ask the obvious question. If I truly am Snape's son, How can I inherit when he's still alive. Well, apparently it was something my Great grandfather put into place before I was born. He didn't like there being an heir who had a muggle for a father, so he made sure that if Snape ever had a child with a pureblood, that that child would inherit as soon as he came of age."

"Harry, please, let me-"

"I'm not done!" Harry yelled. He was so angry he couldn't see straight. He wanted answers, but first he wanted his professor to know exactly how he felt.

Minerva was taken aback by her students anger. She'd never seen Harry like this before. He'd never spoken to her like this. No student had.

"Now, where was I? Oh yes, the revelation that my mother must have been a pureblood. That of course didn't make sense to me. Afterall, everyone knew that Lily Potter was a muggleborn. I thought briefly that she might have been adopted, but a visit to my aunt quickly proved that theory false. So then I decided to come here. I figured if there were any answers, they would be in the headmaster's office. Afterall, barely anything happened without Dumbledore knowing about it," Harry said. "Anyway, I went through his desk for awhile, but found nothing. Then I stepped through his pensive. I'm sure you can guess what I found there."

"Harry, you have to understand. Dumbledore was just doing what he thought was best. It was for the greater-"

"For the greater good. Yes, I heard that much from the memory I viewed. Guess what? I don't care. I give a damn what your reason are, or what his were. Whatever they are, they aren't good enough for me," Harry said. He truly didn't want to know why they did what they did. It didn't matter. As far as he was concerned, nothing could excuse what they did. "I didn't come to find out your motivations because honestly, I just don't care. As far as I'm concerned, you and that old man are nothing but vile, kidnapping monsters."

Minerva had to admit, that stung. Harry was one of her favorite students. It really hurt to hear him call her a monster. "So why did you come here then?"

"I want to know who else knew about this," he said. He needed to know if anyone else he cared about was lying to him.

"The Potters knew," Minerva said.

"Yeah, I gathered that much. Who else? Does Remus know. Did Sirius?" Harry asked. He prayed they didn't. He wasn't sure he could deal with them betraying him like that.

Neither Harry or Minerva noticed as Severus cracked open the door and started listening.

"No," Minerva said. "Listen, I know you're angry, but Albus did the right thing. You should know that now better than anyone."

Harry laughed bitterly. "How's that?"

"You saw what Snape did. He killed Dumbledore right in front of. Who knows what you would've turned into if Dumbledore hadn't done what he did," she said. She needed him to understand that things were better off this way.

Severus' interest was definitely peaked. He didn't know what was going on, but he did now it involved him, and that it probably had something to do with the slip Minerva made to him earlier.

Harry stood up angrily. "Who the bloody hell was Dumbledore to make that decision? Who was he to decide what's best for me?

"Do you think you would've turned out the way you did if hadn't done it?" Minerva asked.

"We'll never know, will we? I wasn't given the chance to find out," Harry said. "As I said I didn't come here for explanations. I have only one other question. "Who was my mother?"

Minerva's eyes widened and she shook her head vigorously. "No, don't go there, Harry. You don't want to know this."

If possible, Harry felt himself get even more angry. His professor was still trying to make decisions for him that were not hers to make. "Tell me who my mother was. I'll go ask Snape if I have to." He really didn't want to speak with Snape, but he would if he had to.

Outside the door, Severus was confused. What was the Potter boy talking about. Lily Potter was the child's mother, which the boy knew. And if she somehow wasn't, Severus didn't have a clue who she really was.

"Harry, you have to trust me on this. If you think knowing about Severus is bad... This will make your skin crawl. Even Severus was smart enough to know how crazy she was. Even he knew she shouldn't be near you," Minerva said.

"I don't care. I want to know everything now," Harry said. He was a little worried by the way Professor McGonagall spoke about his mother, but he couldn't go without knowing. The secrets and lies needed to end.

Minerva sighed. She knew she wasn't going to get out of telling him. She just hoped the boy would be able to take it. "Your mother is Bellatrix Lestrange."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I'm not sure when the Lestranges joined Voldemort, but for this story it wasn't until after Harry was kidnapped.**

Severus gaped in shock from what he heard. Minerva had just told the Potter boy that Bella was his mother. Suddenly everything started replaying in his head. The news he got at Gringott's, Minerva's little slip in his office, everything he was hearing right now. That was all one coincidence too many. Potter was his son. There was no other possible explanation. The only thing he didn't understand was how. He decided to keep listening to find out.

Harry stared at his former teacher in shock. He couldn't have heard right. He just couldn't. That crazy bitch couldn't be his mother. Snape he could live with. He hated it, but he could live with the man being his father. He could not live with Sirius' killer being his mother. "Say it again."

"Harry-"

"Say it!" Harry bellowed.

"Bellatrix Lestrange is your mother," Minerva repeated.

Harry shook his head. "You're lying." She had to be lying. He would not accept this as the truth.

"I wish I were, Harry. I really do. It's the truth," Minerva said sadly.

"Why should I believe you?" Harry asked.

"What possible reason could I have to lie to you now? You would easily be able to find out if I were to lie to you about this. Severus will be able to confirm everything I told you," she said.

She had a point. Harry would easily be able find out if she was lying. He wanted to believe that she was lying though. The alternative was too much for him to handle. As the truth began to sink in, Harry walked backwards and collapsed in the chair behind him. He then placed his head down on the desk. He felt like his whole world was falling apart. He was the son of two death eaters. His family was filled with cold blooded killers. How was he supposed to live with that.

"You understand now, right? It had to be done. If Albus and I hadn't of taken you, you'd of grown up to be just as horrible as they were," Minerva said. She was sure he'd understand now that he knew everything.

Unbeknownst to Minerva, Severus was glaring at her murderously. After everything he heard, it was not hard to figure out what happened. Albus and Minerva kidnapped his son. They'd taken it upon themselves to decide that he and Bella weren't fit parents. They'd played God with his child. His first instinct was to go in there, help his son deal with what he believed to be the worst thing that ever happened to him, and strangle Minerva with his bare hands. He couldn't though. For one, he doubted his son would want to be anywhere near him right now. To him, he was nothing but a murderer. Sure, he could try to explain the truth, but right now the kid was on information overload. Also, he had other things he needed to worry about. The news of who his son was complicated a lot of things. Namely, the dark lord. The dark lord was either going to continue to try to kill his son, or he was going to want to recruit him. Neither was an option as far as he was concerned. He had to do damage control.

Severus closed the door quietly and walked away, but not before vowing to come back and make Minerva pay for what she did.

Back inside Minerva's office, Harry picked up his head and glared at his professor. He then got up and approached her. "If anyone is going to cause me to go dark, it's you."

"What?" Minerva asked. She didn't understand what he meant by that. What had she done to persuade Harry to go dark? She didn't want him to go dark. That was the whole point of all of this.

"You and the supposed light are worse than Voldemort could ever be. Sure, Voldemort and his death eaters have tried to kill me many times. They've also killed people I care about, but they never tried to mess with my head. They never tried to represent themselves as good and decent. They're actually pretty honest about their murderous intentions. That makes them better than you," Harry said. He had no intention of joining Voldemort, but at the same time, he didn't want to be a part of the 'light anymore either. What had they ever done him. All they'd ever done was cause him pain.

"You don't mean that. You wouldn't really join you know who," Minerva said. She wasn't sure though. The way he was talking gave her pause. Had what she and Albus did really driven him this far?"

"No, I won't," Harry admitted. "But I won't fight for you people anymore either. It's obvious that the prophecy, if there ever was one to begin with, was a bunch of crap. I certainly don't fit it, so as far as I'm concerned, the lot of you can go to hell." he then went to leave. He couldn't be in there any longer. He felt like he was going to crumble, and he'd be damned if he did it in front of the person responsible.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Severus urgently walked through Malfoy Manor. He was hoping Narcissa could help him with everything. He walked into the sitting room and found Narcissa there.

"Severus, what brings you by?" Narcissa asked.

"Narcissa, I need your help. Is anyone else here?" Severus asked. The news of Potter's true paternity was too sensitive. He didn't want anyone else knowing about it right now.

"No. Draco is out," Narcissa said.

Severus took a seat on the couch. Narcissa sat down next to him. "I need to speak with you about a matter that needs to stay between us for now," Severus said.

"Of course," Narcissa said.

"I have a hypothetical situation for you. Cepheus somehow returns," Severus started. Cepheus was the name his son had been given at birth.

"Whoa , stop right there. Has Cepheus been found?" Narcissa asked in shock. No one had seen or heard anything from her nephew since he was a baby, so she was surprised to hear Severus talk about him being found.

"Please just bear with me here. I'll answer your questions later," Severus assured her.

"Go on," Narcissa said. The sooner Severus said what he had to say, the sooner she'd get her answers.

"Let's say he was found. Lets also say he turned out to be someone the dark lord wants to kill. Would Bella sell out her son for the dark lord?" Severus asked. Years ago he wouldn't have even asked the question. Yes, Bella was always ruthless, but she always put her family first. She also hadn't joined the death eater ranks until their son went missing.

"That's a rather stupid question, Severus. Belle would kill anyone that she suspected even thought about hurting Cepheus. She would never allow anyone to hurt him, not even the dark lord," Narcissa said.

"Seventeen years ago I would've agreed, but your sister has gotten... Well, your sister has gotten crazy," he said. He couldn't think of any other way to describe the woman.

Narcissa scoffed. "Bella's not as crazy as she'd like people to think. Most of that's an act. It serves her purpose for people to think she's nuts."

"You're trying to tell me that Bella isn't crazy?" Severus asked skeptically.

"Oh, she's crazy. She's always been a little crazy. Just not as crazy as she now wants people to believe," Narcissa explained. "The point is, you don't have to ever worry about Bella putting Cepheus at risk. Everything she has ever done has been for that boy."

"What are you taking about?" he asked.

"Well, if you recall correctly, Bella, her husband, and brother in law didn't join the dark lord's ranks until after Cepheus was kidnapped," Narcissa said.

Severus nodded. He did know that. He never would've agreed to have a child with her otherwise. They'd had Cepheus because Bella's husband couldn't bear children, and they both wanted a child to carry on their families. "True, but they agreed with his ideals." That was probably why Albus and Minerva did what they did. They thought they were 'saving' his son from his own family. The thought infuriated Severus.

"Well, of course they did. Most old pureblood families do, but they never considered bowing down to anyone before than," Narcissa said. She still remembered her sister lecturing her when she joined the death eaters with Lucius. Bella had told her how stupid she was for bowing down to what she called 'a pathetic halfblood.

"What changed?" Severus asked. He too remembered what happened to make Bellatrix and her family turn to the dark lord. They'd never showed interest before that.

"Cepheus," Narcissa said simply. "The dark lord told Bella that he would get her son back for her. All she had to do was join him and do his bidding.

Severus groaned. "And she believed him?" He honestly didn't know why he was surprised though. This was how the dark lord got what he wanted. He prayed on what his servants wanted the most.

Narcissa nodded. "And she did everything he ordered her to do. Everyone he wanted her to kill, she killed. Everything he asked.

"What about the Longbottoms? What was the point of that? The dark lord was gone," Severus pointed out. The rest he could chalk up to what Narcissa had told him, but how could Bella justify torturing the Longbottoms?

Narcissa sighed. "I don't know why she thought it."

"Thought what?" Severus asked.

"Somehow Bella got it into her head that the Longbottom boy was Cepheus. Maybe because he was born around the same time. She tortured them to get the truth," she explained. "She was riddled with guilt after realizing she was wrong. She'll never admit it, but she was."

Severus was quite shocked. Bella had done a good job of convincing everyone that she was a crazy lunatic. He certainly believed it. The truth was, she'd just been trying to get their child back. She went about it the wrong way, but it had all been for their son.

"So it's your turn, Severus. Did you find Cepheus?" Narcissa asked.

"More like Gringotts found him," Severus said. He was pretty sure that's how his son found out the truth. He didn't see how else he could've come across the information.

"What do you mean?" questioned Narcissa.

"You know how my grandfather set up the prince accounts. He made it so that my son would inherit at seventeen. Cepheus just inherited the Prince estate," he explained.

"So he has been found? He's alright?" Narcissa asked.

"I guess that depends on your definition of alright. He's physically fine, but he's extremely angry," Severus said.

"You've seen him then?" Narcissa asked.

"Yes. So have you. So has Bella, though she didn't make the best first," Severus added.

"Oh, has he seen Bella during her crazy act? Is he afraid of her?" Narcissa asked. She hoped that wasn't it. A son shouldn't fear his own mother.

"More like he wants nothing more than to kill her," Severus said.

Narcissa's eyes widened. "Oh Merlin, it isn't actually the Longbottom boy is it?"

Severus shuttered at the thought. "No. it's worse than that." Not that having Harry Potter for a son was all that horrible, but it was bad because their son would not easily accept them, especially Bella. He hated the woman for what she did to Black.

"What could be worse than her son being the boy whose parents she tortured into insanity?" Narcissa asked.

"Her son being the boy whose godfather she murdered," Severus replied. A few months ago, he would've hesitated in telling her, but ever since what happened with Draco at the end of last term, Narcissa expressed regret in serving the dark lord. She wouldn't sell his son out.

Narcissa gasped in shock. "Harry Potter."

Severus nodded. "How's that for irony. It's a good thing the dark lord never followed through with his promise. My son would surely be dead by now if he did."

"You can't be sure of that. There is the very real possibility that the dark lord would want to recruit the boy," Narcissa said.

"Something else that I will not allow to happen," Severus said firmly. His son would become a death eater over his dead body. "I better go. I need to tell Bella everything." he then got up and walked away.

Narcissa watched Severus leave. "Merlin help anyone who was involved in this when Bella gets her hands on them."


	8. Chapter 8

Bellatrix Lestrange sat at her kitchen table with her husband and Brother in law. They were once again fighting about the dark lord and whether or not they should stop serving him. The two brothers wanted to stop, while Bella didn't think she could. "Do either of you really think I want to serve this power hungry halfblood? I hate this just as much as the two of you do, but he is a necessary evil right now."

"Do you really think he's going to help you?" Rabastan asked. He'd always been skeptical about the dark lord fulfilling his promise, but he'd agreed to go through with everything just in case he was sincere. It was getting ridiculous thought. It had been seventeen years. Three years since the dark lord had come back. The bastard was never going to tell them where his nephew was.

"I can't take the risk that he is. I know the odds are that he'll never help me, but there is the possibility that he will. How can I just ignore that? What kind of mother would I be? I need to do whatever I have to do to get my son back," Bella said.

"And what about the price?" Rodolphus asked.

Bella turned to him. "Meaning?"

"We've all done horrible things because of this. We've killed dozens. We tortured a couple into insanity," Rodophus reminded his wife.

Bella cringed. There wasn't a day that went by that she didn't regret what happened to the Longbottoms. It was by far the worst thing she'd ever done. "Believe me, I haven't forgotten."

"I know," Rodophus said sadly. "My point is, how far is too far? Where do we draw the line? When we hand a seventeen year old boy over to that lunatic?"

"You know I don't want that. I have no desire to see the Potter boy suffer anymore than he already has," she said. She hated seeing Potter in pain. She didn't know why, but seeing that kid hurt ripped her apart inside, which was strange because very few could bring out that feeling in her.

"Would you hand that boy over to the dark lord if he asked you to?" Rodophus asked.

"I don't have an answer for that," Bella said. She would love to say that she wouldn't. That she drew the line at handing a seventeen year old boy over to be killed, but she couldn't. If she thought it would get her child back, she'd probably do it without question.

"You know that I'd do anything for you and for Cepheus. If I honestly thought it would help, I'd sell my soul and hand the Potter kid over myself. But I don't think it'll help. I don't think the dark lord will ever come through. It was just a promise he made to get to us."

"Well, what else am I supposed to do? If either one of you has another suggestion, I'm all hears," Bella said.

"What if he's dead?" Rabastan asked. If looks could kill he'd be long dead by the glares that his brother and sister and law. "Come on, Rodophus, you know you're thinking it too."

Bella turned her glare onto her husband. "Is that what you think?"

Rodophus hesitated before answering. "Bella, it's been seventeen years. I'd be remiss if I didn't consider the possibility."

"You think I haven't. I briefly considered the horrifying possibility that my son was dead, and I immediately nixed it. If my son were dead I'd know. Cepheus was a part of me. I'd know if he were gone from this world," Bella said confidently. Her son was not dead. She was positive about that.

Suddenly they all heard a crackling sound coming from the other room. "That sounds like someone's fire calling or something. I'll go check it out," Rabastan said before getting up and leaving the room.

Rodophus leaned forward to get closer to his wife. "You know I'd do anything for you. If you feel that you need to keep doing the halfblood's bidding, so be it."

"You know I hate just as much as you do, but I don't feel I have a choice. He's my son. I'd do anything for him. I know you'd do the same," Bella said. She knew her husband loved Cepheus just as much as she and Severus. He wasn't the boy's biological father, but he loved him just the same. Her son was always going to have two father's.

Soon, Rabastan walked back into the room with Severus behind him.

"What are you doing here, Severus? Does our lord know you're here?" Bella asked, going straight into her devoted death eater mode. She knew that Severus wasn't really loyal to the dark lord, but he didn't know that she wasn't. It was easier that way. The less that knew her true intentions the better.

"You can drop the act, Bella. Your sister told me everything," Severus informed her.

Bella scowled. Narcissa was never supposed to tell anyone that. The only reason Bella told her was because her sister didn't believe her when she said told her she'd all of a sudden started to worship the dark lord. "If you're going to tell me I'm wasting my time, save your breath. I will do whatever it takes to get our son back."

"I appreciate that, but there's no need for you to continue doing what you're doing," Severus told her.

Bella was confused at first, but then what he was implying finally sunk in. He was telling her that he found their son. She stood up from her seat. "Where?"

"Right now, I don't know, but he's alright," Severus assured her

"How do you know? Have you seen him?" Bella asked.

"Yes. We've all seen him. And I'm afraid he's not very fond of any of us," Severus said sadly. It saddened him that his own son hated him. He knew it was partially his own fault, but still.

"Why not? How does he know us? What's his name?" Bella asked on after the other. She wanted answers.

"Calm done, love. He can only answer one question at a time," Rodophus said.

Bella took a deep breath. "Well?"

"You need to understand that he's been lied to for years. He's grown up believing the worst in us. What he's seen from both of us didn't help matters," Severus said.

"Severus, I swear, if you don't tell me who he is in the next five seconds, I'm going to curse you so badly that you will wish you were never born!" Bella threatened.

Severus cringed. He knew she meant it. He'd seen what she could do when she was angry. It wasn't pretty, which was also why she was afraid to continue. She might curse him just for being the one to tell her what was done to their son. "Harry Potter."

Bella's eyes grew wide in shock. That was the last name she expected to hear. "Tell me you're kidding." It wasn't that she wouldn't want Harry Potter as a son. Her son was her son. She didn't care who he turned out to be. But he would care who she was. The boy wanted nothing more than to kill her. Not that she could blame him. He loved her cousin Sirius, and she'd killed him. She didn't mean to, but she did.

"It's the truth,"Severus said.

"How did you find this out?" she asked.

"I overhead a conversation between him and Minerva McGonagall. She was involved, and she told him everything," Severus explained.

"Who else was involved in this?" Bella asked in a dangerous voice. Whoever was involved would suffer a slow and painful death by her hand.

"Dumbledore, the Potters. I don't know who else was involved," Severus replied. He sincerely hoped for his son's sake that Lupin and Black were not involved. The boy couldn't take any more betrayals.

"They're all lucky they're already dead. Everyone else who knew will pay," Bella vowed. "Where is he. I need to talk to him."

"Bella, I don't think that's a good idea right now. He's known for less than a day. Just wait a little while," Severus said. He wanted to talk to the boy as well, but he knew it wouldn't end well.

"I've waited seventeen years, Severus. I will not wait another day," Bella said. Truthfully, if she thought it would help, she would wait, but it wouldn't matter. It would never be the right time. "Tell me where he is."

"I'm not sure. He was at Hogwarts when I left, but he's probably not there any longer. He was staying at the Weasley's, but I doubt he went there. He'd want to be alone. My best bet would be Grimwald Place. It is his afterall," Severus said.

"Fine, I'll start there," Bella said.

"I'll come with you," Rodophus said as he stood up.

"No, I have to do this alone," Bella said. She then apparated away.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Harry slowly walked into Grimwald place. He knew it wasn't exactly safe. The house wasn't protected anymore, so death eaters could get to him there. He didn't care though. He needed to be somewhere where he would be alone. He couldn't deal with being around people right now. This seemed like the best place. Actually it was pretty ironic for him to go there now that he thought about it. It was his home. Not just because Sirius left to him, but also because it was his family home. It was really ironic for him to chose to go there.

Harry walked into the kitchen. He went over to the table and sat down. Everything then started replaying in his mind. Everything he heard at Gringotts, from McGonagall. It all hit him really hard, and it finally started to sink in. Severus Snape and Bellatrix Lestrange were his parents. Draco Malfoy was his cousin.

He felt anger build up inside of him. He didn't want this. He didn't want to be related to any of these people. He hated every single one of them. He stood up and pushed everything off the table in a fit of anger, breaking a vase in the process. He then went over to the cabinets and started pulling glass bowls and plates out, slamming them to the floor and breaking them. He went on breaking everything he could get his hands on before he finally let himself fall to the ground with his eyes brought to his chest, and he started to cry.

"Aw. Look what we have here," came patronizing voice.

Harry looked up and Antonin Dolohov and Crabbe senior standing with their wands trained on him.


	9. Chapter 9

Harry was barely able to stand up and get his wand out of his pocket before the first Crucio hit hit him. He dropped his wand and doubled over in pain.

"_Crucio!" _Crabbe chanted for the second time.

"What are you doing? We're supposed to take him to the dark lord," Dolohov said.

"And we will, but there's no reason we can't have a little fun first," Crabbe said evilly. He then cast the curse at the boy again.

Harry once again screamed out in pain. It then hit him again and again..

"Had enough yet, Potter," Crabbe asked.

"_Crucio._"

Harry waited for the spell to hit him again, but it never happened. He finally opened his eyes and saw Crabbe fall to the ground in pain. Once Crabbe fell, Harry saw Bella behind him with murderous eyes.

Bella pointed her want at her son. "_Protego Totalum,_" she chanted. She wanted her boy protected from any backfired curses. She also wanted to make sure that if any other death eaters came forward, he would be protected from them. She then turned her wand back to Crabbe and cast another Cruciatus curse.

Dolohov decided to retreat. He wasn't sure why Bella was attacking them, he knew she would kill them. He quickly apparated out.

Bella cursed herself mentally for letting Dolohov get away. She'd intended to kill both of them painfully. '_oh well. One's better than none,' she thought to herself. _She turned back to Crabbe and hit him with the Furnunculus curse, causing the man to form painful boils all over his body.

Harry looked on in shock as Bella tortured Crabbe. He didn't understand it. Why would she attack Crabbe. She didn't know Harry was her son, and even if she did, she wouldn't care, would she? After all, she was still a death eater, and her master wanted him dead. She'd proved when she killed Sirius that her loyalties were to Voldemort first and foremost.

"_Sectumsempr," _Bella chanted. She then watched as large gashes appeared on Crabbe. The spell would kill him. There was no way he'd make it to a healer in time for them to save him. He would make it back in time to tell the other death eaters what had happened, which was the whole point. Crabbe was her message to the dark lord and his death eaters. If they came after her boy again, she would kill every last one of them slowly and very painfully.

Crabbe screamed out in pain. He knew he was done for. He peered up at his soon to be murderer and asked, "Why?"

Harry did his best to ignore his own pain to pay attention. He wanted to know why Bella was doing this as well.

"You turned your wand on my son. No one does that, and lives to tell the tail. You will die painfully. I'm sure you know that by now. But before you do, you'll have the chance to tell every last one of your fellow death eaters what will happen to them if they so much as look at my boy wrong," Bella said. "Oh, and you can also tell your master that our business is at an end. I no longer require his services.

Harry looked on in shock. He couldn't believe it. Not only did Bella know who he was to her, but she'd pretty much just killed a man for him. He didn't know what to do with that. He hated Bella for killing Sirius, but at the same time, he couldn't help but feel touched that she'd been willing to kill for him. No one had ever gone that far for him.

"You can go now," Bella told Crabbe. "Unless you wanted me to torture you while you slowly bleed to death."

Crabbe quickly used what little strength he had to apparate away.

Bella turned to her son. She canceled the protection spell and approached the boy.

Harry tried to back away, but he was still in too much pain for Crabbe torturing him. "Get away from me."

Bella knelt in front of her son. "Do you honestly think I'm going to hurt you?"

"You already have. You killed someone I loved," Harry said. Sirius' death was still heavy on his heart. He'd been like a father to him. He wouldn't forgive Bella for killing him.

Bella sighed. She knew that Sirius' death would be in issue for her son. "Sirius' death was an accident. I didn't mean to kill him. But I won't tell you I regret what I did either." Everything she'd done was for her son. She couldn't regret doing whatever it took to get him back.

Harry looked up at her from his place on the floor. She'd just admitted that she wasn't sorry for killing Sirius. Not that he expected her to be, but he still made him angry. "I know you don't regret it. You gloated about it."

"I gloated about it because it was expected. I took no pleasure in his death, or in your pain following his death," Bella told her son. "As I said though, I can't regret it. I did what I had to do. Sirius understood that." She and Sirius were never really close, but Sirius knew she'd never support Voldemort. He knew she was too proud of her pureblood status to serve a halfblood. Sure, she didn't have as big a problem with them as she did with muggleborns, but she certainly wasn't going to bow down to one. While she and Sirius were in Azkaban, she'd explained her motives to him, after he'd prodded her about it of course.

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked. The comment didn't make sense.

"I'll explain it to you later. Right now, we need to get you some place safe," Bella said. She wanted to tell her son everything, but it was too dangerous for them to remain there, and Harry needed to be somewhere where he could recover from the torture he'd just endured.

Harry shook his head. "No, I'm not going anywhere with you."

Bella raised an eyebrow. "You assume I'm giving you a choice. You're not staying here. It's obviously not safe."

"You can't force me. I'm an adult now. It would be kidnapping," he said. He couldn't believe she was going to try to force him to go.

"I just killed a man. Do you honestly think I care about the law. My only concern is protecting you. I will fight anyone who tries to prevent that, even you," Bella said before lightly grabbing his arm and apparating away.


	10. Chapter 10

"What do you mean you don't have Potter?" Voldemort asked angrily as Dolohov was kneeling in front of him. A few other death eaters, such as Nott and Malfoy were there as well.

"We were about to bring him to you, My Lord, but we were interrupted." Dolohov said. He decided to omit the part where Crabbe started torturing the boy. That would only get _him_ tortured.

"By who?" Voldemort demanded to know.

At that precise moment, a badly injured Crabbed apparated in and fell to the ground.

"What is the meaning of this?" Voldemort roared. Everyone flinched at his anger. "Well? Who did this to you, you imbecile?"

"Bella. She protects Potter now," Crabbe said.

"What?" asked an infuriated Voldemort. Bella was supposed to be his. He thought he'd had her where he wanted her by promising to get her brat back. He of course didn't intend to even try to find the boy, but Bella didn't need to know that.

"My Lord, would you like me to get Severus to heal him?" Lucius asked.

"_Crucio," _Voldemort said as he pointed his wand at Lucius. "If I wanted you to get Severus I would've said so. It's obvious that the idiot has lost to much blood to survive." He then turned back to Crabbe. "Before you die, tell me why Bella follows Potter now_."_

"She says Potter's her son," Crabbe said.

There was a lot of whispering from the other death eaters. They all seemed to know this was bad for them.

"She said that I was her example. That if anyone else dared to touch Potter, they would meet the same fate."

The whispering got more frantic. "This is bad," Nott whispered to Lucius."

"That's an understatement," Lucius said. They were all screwed. The dark lord was scary, but Bella in overprotective mother mode was lethal. He was slightly more afraid of Bella than he was of the dark lord.

Voldemort was furious. This was not good at all. He could see everything falling apart. His death eaters were scared, and with good reason. Bella would follow through with that promise, which meant that his death eaters might not follow his orders regarding Potter. He had to come up with another strategy and fast.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Bella apparated into her kitchen with Harry.. Rodophus and Rabastan, who were both still sitting at the kitchen table rushed over to them. "What happened?" Rodophus asked.

"He was ambushed. They used the Cruciatus curse on him," Bella said as she tried to keep her son from falling to the ground.

"I got him," Rodophus said as he grabbed his stepson underneath his arms and knees, and lifted him up into his arms.

Harry wanted to resist as Rodophus Lestrange picked him up, but he couldn't. He was still suffering the after affects of the torture he'd endured.

"Where's Severus?" Bella asked. Severus knew some healing techniques, so he might be able to do something for their son.

"He went back to Hogwarts, but he should be back soon," Rodophus said before he started to carry his stepson towards the stairs. Bella and Rabastan followed closely.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

After leaving Lestrange Manor, Severus went back to Hogwarts to get some things. He was currently in his office packing some potions. He was no longer interested in staying at Hogwarts. He knew someone would end up dead if he stayed within a hundred miles of Minerva. Rodolphus offered to let him stay with them. He wasn't sure how he felt about staying with Bella though. They could manage as somewhat friends, and as parents, but living under the same roof was another thing entirely. On the other hand, they all needed to band together right now for Harry's sake. They needed to find a way to get through to him.

Severus felt a presence and looked up. Minerva was standing there. He tried hard to resist the urge to strangle the woman. Now was not the time to commit murder. Harry didn't need another parent who was wanted by the ministry. "You'd do well to get out of my presence now."

"Is that a threat?" Minerva asked.

"It's a warning. I'm already an inch away from killing you," Severus said.

"Plotting to kill more people, are you? I wonder how the ministry would feel if they knew that," Minerva said.

"I don't know. How would they feel if they knew you and the mighty Albus Dumbledore stole a baby from his home?" Severus asked. The ministry actually wouldn't care once they found out that Harry was Bella's son. They were prejudice that way.

Minerva looked up shocked. She hadn't expected him to find out so quick. Harry must of gone to him after talking to her. "Harry told you?"

"No, you did. By the way, the next time you want to have a private conversation with someone who's screaming at you, lock the door and put up a silencing charm," Severus advised as he continued to pack. "Now get out of here before I do kill you."

"Why don't you just do it?" Minerva challenged. "You had no problem killing Albus."

Severus angrily slammed this hands onto his desk, making Minerva visibly flinch. "Would you like to know why? I don't want really owe you an explanation, but I'll give you one because I'm not going to let you use what happened to justify what you did to my son. I killed the bastard because he asked me too."

"What?" Minerva asked.

"He did something stupid, which would've caused a very slow, painful death. He asked me to put him out of his misery," Severus explained.

"You're lying," Minerva accused. That just couldn't be true. If Severus killed Albus in cold blood, she could let go of the guilt she had for helping Albus. If it was a mercy killing, she truly was just as horrible as Harry accused her of being.

"You need to believe that, don't you? Because if you do, you can convince yourself that stealing my child was okay. Well, it wasn't. And no matter how you try to justify it to yourself, it never will be. You and Albus are worse than the dark lord," Severus said. "Do you have any idea of the damage you caused. You destroyed many lives. The Longbottoms for starters."

"What are you talking about? Bellatrix Lestrange tortured the Longbottoms," Minerva said.

"Do you know why? Because she thought that Neville Longbottom was our son." Severus told him.

Minerva's eyes widened. If that was true, then she and Albus had inadvertently caused what happened to the Longbottom family.

"Good luck telling Longbottom that because you decided to play God, he no longer has parents," Severus said as he closed his truck. "Oh, and if were you, I'd watch my step. Bella's not going to be as nice as I am now when she finally gets her hands on you." He then grabbed his things and left.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Severus arrived back to Lestrange Manor soon after leaving Hogwarts. He walked upstairs to find a room when he noticed everyone in one of the other rooms. He peaked inside and saw his son on the bed. "What the hell happened?"

"He was ambushed by death eaters." Bella told him.

Severus got closer and saw that the boy was shaking a bit. That told him that he was subjected to the torture curse. He went to examine the boy closer, but Harry tried to push him away.

"I'm fine. Just leave me alone," Harry said. He wanted nothing to do with any of these people.

"You're not fine," Bella told her son. "Severus, is there anything you can do for him?"

"All I can do is give him a sleeping potion,"Severus said before going to his trunk and fumbling through it. He couldn't get rid of the after affects, but hopefully, he could make it so Harry would sleep through them. "Sit him up."

Bella and Rodophus both pulled Harry up a little. Harry tried to struggle against their attempts, but he was too weak.

Severus approached Harry with a potion file. "Drink."

Harry pushed it away. There was no way he was drinking anything Snape gave him. "No, get away from me."

"Drink, or I'll force down your throat," Severus said. He understood his son's skepticism, but he wasn't about to allow his son to suffer because of his own stubbornness.

Harry glared before reluctantly opening his mouth to take the potion. He didn't really have a choice. He knew Snape would follow through with that threat. After he downed the potion, he found himself being lowered back into bed. It wasn't long after that before he started to slip into a blissful slumber.

**A/N: Okay, so I need a little feedback. Who should Harry eventually be paired with? Also should some of Harry's friends turn on him, and if so, which ones?**


	11. Chapter 11

The Weasley's, Hermione, Remus, and Tonks all stood in the Weasley's looking worried. They were worried because Harry hadn't been seen since the night before. "How long has he been missing?" Tonks asked.

"He went to Hogwarts yesterday. That's the last time anyone's seen him," Arthur said.

"He's been gone all night and you're just telling us now?" Remus asked incredulously. That probably wouldn't be such a big deal wit it were someone else, but for Harry it was. Harry had a moving target on his back. Going out alone for even an hour was extremely dangerous.

"We figured he learned something that upset him. We thought he just wanted to be alone for a few hours. But when he didn't return all night, we knew something was wrong," Arthur explained.

"What could he have possibly learned at Hogwarts that was so damaging? Why was he at Hogwarts in the first place?" Tonks asked.

"Harry recently learned that Lily and James Potter were not his parents," he told them.

"That's not possible. Harry is there son," Remus said positively. James and Lily were his friends. If Harry wasn't theirs, he'd of known.

"He isn't, Remus. Harry just took over as head of the house of Prince. Now he wouldn't have been able to do that if he was wasn't a Prince by blood," Arthur reasoned.

"I was there," Remus said.

"You were there when Harry was born?" Arthur asked.

"Well, no, not when he was born, but I was there a couple weeks later, and I saw Lily when she was pregnant," Remus said. He knew for a fact that Lily had a baby.

"That just proves that she was with child. It doesn't prove that Harry was that child. For all you know, she couldn've miscarried or something," Molly said.

"Or maybe Harry just wasn't James' son," Tonks suggested.

"No, that's not it either," Arthur said. "You see, Harry's great grandfather put something into affect before he was born. The only way Harry would be able to inherit before his father died was if his mother was a pureblood."

"You're saying Harry's a pureblood?" Tonks asked.

"Well, technically he's still a halfblood. His father was a halfblood," Arthur said.

"Wait, you know who Harry's father is?" Remus asked.

"Yes. It's Severus Snape?"

Remus gaped in shock. No wonder Harry was so upset. Not only had the boy found out that his parents weren't who he thought they were, but his father was someone he hated.

Tonks looked away as she started putting the pieces together. She'd been told by her mother about the child Severus Snape had with her aunt. Was it really possible that Harry was that child.

Tonks, are you alright?" Remus asked concerned.

"When's Harry's birthday again?" she asked.

"July 31," Ron answered.

"Why?" Molly asked.

"I think I know who Harry's mother is. And if Harry found out about it, he's going to be devastated," Tonks said.

"Well, who is it?" Molly asked.

"My aunt," Tonks said.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake, please tell me you have a third aunt," Remus begged. He knew that Harry would not be able to handle either Narcissa Malfoy or Bellatrix Lestrange being his mother.

"I wish I could," Tonks said sadly.

Remus sighed. "Then tell me it's Narcissa." Sure Harry would still hate it, but it was much better than the alternative.

"Again, I can't."

Remus put his hands over his face. "Oh, Merlin, no. This is going to kill him."

"Wait, you're trying to say that Bellatrix Lestrange is Harry's mother?" Ron asked. "No way. Harry can't be dark."

"Who said anything about Harry being dark?" Hermione asked.

"If his entire family is filled with dark wizards, he'll eventually turn that way too," Ron said.

"That's the stupidest thing you've ever said, little brother," George said.

"George, don't call your brother stupid. He's right," Molly said.

"Mum, how can you say that? It's Harry," Fred reminded her.

"I don't like anymore than you do, Fred, but eventually blood always wills out," Molly said.

"Is that so?" Tonks asked. "I'm from the same blood as Harry, and so was Sirius."

"No one is saying anything about you, Tonks. Your parents are good people," Molly said.

"So you're saying that just because Harry comes from death eater parents, he's destined to become one as well?" Tonks asked incredulously. She couldn't believe how they could just turn on Harry like this. "I thought you loved Harry."

"Alright, everyone calm down. Now are we sure Harry is Bellatrix's son?" Remus said. He didn't like what the Weasley's were saying either, but they needed to be sure this was even true first.

"The timing fits. Bellatrix had a child with Severus Snape at around the time that Harry was born," Tonks said.

"How come I never heard about this?" Remus wondered.

"Not many knew. The boy was kidnapped when he was a baby," Tonks said. "I don't even know that much about it. I only know what my mother told me."

"So it's true then," Molly said.

Tonks glared at her. "That Harry's a Black? Probably. That he's dark? No."

"Come on, his parents are both death eaters. How could he be anything other than dark?" Ron asked.

"Oh, honestly, Ronald. You're just as bad as Malfoy," Hermione said.

Ron looked at her horrified at the accusation. "How can you say that?"

"You're judging Harry on who his parents are. This isn't his fault, Ron. He didn't ask for Bellatrix Lestrange and Professor Snape to be his parents," Hermione said.

"But they are, Hermione. He comes from death eaters," he said.

"That doesn't mean he will be," Hermione told him.

"Yes, it does. It's in his blood. He will turn on us. He won't be able to help it. It's what he comes from," Ron said. He didn't know why Hermione couldn't see that Harry was lost to them.

"Alright, I'm getting out of here before I hex someone," Tonks said.

Remus followed Tonks out. "We have to find Harry."

"We don't even know where to look," Tonks said.

"Well, he owns Grimmauld place now. Maybe we should start there," Remus suggested.

"Or maybe we should just leave him alone," she said. "If he knows the truth, he's probably a wreck"

"And that's why he shouldn't be alone," Remus said. "Besides, if he comes back here, he's going to walk in on a bunch of people calling him dark."

Tonks sighed. "You're right. Let's go." They then apparated away.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Harry opened his eyes and found himself to be in a room he didn't recognize. He wondered how he got there for a minute. Then he remembered the previous day's events. He'd found out that Bella was his mother, and she'd brought him there after he was attacked.

Harry sat up in bed, and looked around the room. It was huge. Probably bigger than the Dursley's house. It was decorated in light blue, and held a huge king size bed, two large dressers, a couple of arm chairs, and a desk and chair.

He got up and went over to the door. He was surprised to find that it wasn't locked. He stepped out of the room and looked up and down the very large hallway. He wondered which way he should go. Which way would get him out of this place? He decided to just right and see where that took him.

After about ten to fifteen minutes, Harry finally found a flight of stairs. "Bloody hell, this place is as big is as big as Hogwarts."

"Not quite," came a voice from behind.

Harry turned around and saw Snape standing there. "What are you doing here? Where exactly is here anyway?"

"This is Lestrange Manor. Your mother and stepfather invited me to stay," Severus said.

Harry cringed at the title Snape had given Bella. He knew that she was his mother, but hearing someone call her that just made it that much more real. "How do I get out of here?"

"You don't," Severus said simply.

"What?" Harry asked. He knew he shouldn't be surprised that Snape wasn't going to let him leave, but he couldn't help but be extremely angry about it.

"You think I'd let you leave so you could another reckless and stupid thing?" Severus asked.

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked confused. He hadn't done anything stupid and reckless.

"Use your head for once. There's a reason the Order no longer uses Grimmauld place. It's not protected anymore. And I have a feeling you knew that. You stupidly walked into a house you knew wasn't protected," Severus said. That was the real reason they'd decided not to let the boy leave. They knew he'd ignored the fact that he was putting himself at risk, which wasn't an option. He didn't care if he was an adult. He would not allow his son to put himself at risk.

Harry looked away. He supposed that was pretty stupid. He did know that it wasn't safe for him to go to Headquarters. He just hadn't cared at the rime. He'd been too angry to care.

"Well? Aren't you going to say something?"

"What do you care? You're a killer. A death eater. I'm sure you'd love to see me tortured and killed," Harry said angrily.

Severus resisted the urge to smack the boy on the back of the head. He knew his son was angry, but he didn't let anyone speak to him like that. He certainly wasn't going to let his own son do it. "Do not speak of things you don't understand?"

"Things I don't understand? I understand plenty. I watched you kill Dumbledore," Harry said. The truth was though, he didn't much care about Dumbledore anymore. Still, Snape was a death eater. Someone who was a threat to him and his friends.

"And if I'd known what I do now, I wouldn't have done it. I'd of let him suffer," Severus said.

"What?" Harry asked. Now he was really confused. How would Dumbledore have suffered by Snape leaving him alive.

Severus sighed. "I killed Dumbledore because he asked me too.

"Why would he do that?" he asked. The more Snape talked, the less sense he made.

"Because he was dying anyway. He did something stupid, and it was slowly killing him," Severus explained.

Harry thought back for a minute. He remembered how Dumbledore pleaded with Snape. At the time Harry thought he'd been pleading with Snape to spare him, but what if it had been the opposite. What if he'd been pleading with Snape to kill him. "Why didn't you say something?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe it had something to do with the dozen death eaters that were there," Severus said dryly.

"Oh, right," Harry said. That did make sense when he thought about it. Now though, he wasn't sure what to say or do. Things almost seemed easier when he thought Snape was a killer and a death eater. At least then he could hate the man easily. "So what's the plan then?"

"What?" Severus asked confused.

"You're still spying, right? When are getting out of here?" Harry asked. If Snape really wasn't dark then he had to be planning to get them out of there.

"I told you, you're staying here," Snape said.

"With death eaters? Why?" Harry asked. He then turned as her heard footsteps on the stairs. It was Bella.

"Good morning. I see you're feeling better," Bella observed.

Harry immediately went for his wand only to realize that he didn't have it. He then remembered that he'd dropped it during the incident at Grimmauld place.

"Looking for this?" Bella asked as she took Harry wand out of her pocket.

Harry immediately reached for it, but Bella pulled it out of his reach. Harry sighed. He should've known Bella wouldn't just give him his wand.

"You may have it back, but you will not use it against anyone in this house, Clear?" Bella asked. She knew the boy well enough to know he might try to use it against her.

Harry begrudgingly nodded his head. He really just wanted to tell her where to stuff it, but he would hold his tongue for now.

Bella handed her son his wand.

Harry took his wand pocketed it. He thought about just cursing Bella, but he knew it wouldn't work. She was much more advanced than him and she wasn't the only one there. "So what now?"

"Now you come with me. We're going to talk," Bella replied.

"I don't want to talk to you," Harry said defiantly.

"I didn't ask what you wanted."

"Bella," Severus warned. They'd both agreed the night before that they couldn't let Harry leave because of the probability that the boy would just go and do something else that could end up getting him killed. However, Severus wasn't so sure Bella should push him to talk to her like this.

"No, Severus, he's going to listen whether he likes it or not. I will not allow that old man to continue to screw with him from beyond the grave," Bella told him before turning back to her son. "Follow me," she said before walking down the stairs.

Harry stayed rooted in his spot for a minute, but eventually followed her down the stairs.


	12. Chapter 12

Remus and Tonks walked into the kitchen of Grimmauld place. Once they got there, they found that it was trashed. "Oh no," Tonks said. She could only imagine had happened to the poor boy.

"It could be Harry who did it. If he was angry enough, he might have just lost it and started throwing things," Remus said. He remembered hearing about what Harry had done to Dumbledore's office after Sirius died. The boy had quite a temper sometimes.

Tonks noticed a red spot on the floor and went over to it. "I don't think he did this on his own."

Remus went over to her and saw the blood. "Oh, Merlin. Alright, we're going to Hogwarts. I'm pretty sure Severus is there."

"And what are we going to do? Snape's a death eater. Do you really think he's going to help Harry?" Tonks asked.

"Harry is his son. I have to believe that would mean something to him," Remus said. "Besides, Harry's already missing, and probably hurt. What do we have to lose?"

Tonks nodded. He had a point there. "Alright, lets go." They then apparated out.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Bella led her son into the kitchen and over to the table. She pulled out a chair. "Sit."

Harry didn't move. He just gave Bella the biggest glare he could muster. What right did she have to tell him what to do? He hated her. She might have technically been his mother, but as far as he was concerned, she was nothing but a murderer.

Bella grabbed Harry by the arm and deposited him into the chair. She then went around to the other side of the table and sat down across from her son, who continued to glare at her. "You might as well lose the glare. It has no affect on me."

"What do you want from me?" Harry asked.

"I want you to listen to what I have to say," Bella said.

"If I listen, can I leave?" Harry asked. He knew it was unlikely that she would let him leave, but he had to try.

"No. This is not a negotiation. You _will_ listen to what I have to say, and you _will_ stay here," Bella said firmly. She didn't like treating her son this way, but she couldn't let him leave. It was far too dangerous.

"Really? What's going to stop me from apparating out?" Harry asked. He had a feeling that she did have a way of stopping him though. She wouldn't have given him his wand back otherwise.

"The anti-apparation charm I put up last night," Bella responded.

Harry sat back in his chair and glared hatefully. "So I'm your prisoner now?"

"You can call it whatever you want. I'm not going to let you leave hers so that you can go out and get yourself killed," she said firmly.

"I'm not going to get myself killed. I can take care of myself," Harry said defensively.

"What happened last night says otherwise," Bella said. She understood how upset Harry had been, but what he'd done the night before was stupid. He'd gone to Grimmauld place knowing full well that it wasn't safe for him to be there. If she hadn't shown up when he did, he'd of been killed. She couldn't take the chance that it would happen again. "In your fit of anger, you nearly got yourself killed. I will not allow that to happen again."

"What do you care? I'm sure that would just make your day," he said.

"Do not presume to know how I feel about you. You are my son. My flesh and blood," Bella said.

Harry stood up angrily. The statement made him extremely angry. Bella couldn't care less about family. Afterall, she'd murdered Sirius. "Don't act like you give a damn about blood. You killed a member of your own family!"

Bella stood up and leaned over the table, getting extremely close to Harry's face. "Sit down," she ordered in a very low voice.

Harry just stared at her for a minute, but finally did what she asked.

Bella sat back down as well. "Lets get something straight right now. Your anger is justified, but I will not tolerate being screamed at."

Harry laughed bitterly. "You actually expect me to respect you?"

"I expect you to conduct yourself properly. You can get your point across without screaming," Bella said.

"Fine," Harry said. He would agree to anything if it would get him out of there. He knew he couldn't leave the house, but he would settle for just leaving the room. "Can I go now?"

"No. We are not even close to finished here. We have much to discuss," Bella said.

"Like what?"

"Like Sirius," she replied.

Harry felt anger build up inside him. He did not want to talk about Sirius with his killer. He didn't even want to hear her speak his name. "I don't want to talk to you about Sirius.

"Too bad. We are going to talk about it. If you're going to hate me, you're going to do it with you eyes open," Bella said. She needed him to know everything. The whole ugly truth. If he still hated her, at least he'd hate her for the right reasons.

"Nothing is going to change the way I feel about you," Harry told her. He couldn't think of one thing she could say that would make him hate her any less.

"Well, we'll find out, won't we?" Bella asked. "Now as I said last night, Sirius' death was never the plan. It was completely unintentional."

"Your stunner made him fall into the veil!" Harry yelled.

"The key word in that statement is 'stunner.' My intention was never to kill.

"You said that you didn't regret killing him," he reminded her.

"No, I said that I didn't regret my actions that night. There is a difference. I am sorry that Sirius is dead, but I am not sorry for going to the ministry and fighting him. I did what I had to do. And for your information, Sirius would've done the same if he were in my position," Bella said.

"That's not true! Sirius wasn't a murderer," Harry said angrily. It was bad enough that she killed Sirius, but he wouldn't sit there and listen to her disrespect his memory.

Bella could guess what Harry was thinking. "You think I'm trying to disrespect Sirius' memory.

"You are. You called him a murderer," Harry said.

"I did no such thing," she denied.

"You said that he was like you."

"I said that he would do the same thing I did. And he would," Bella said. "Do you think I started off as a murderer. I didn't. But you do what you have to do."

"You say that as if you had no choice," Harry commented.

"As far as I'm concerned, I didn't. It's not a choice when your child's life is at stake," Bella said.

"Sirius was trying to protect me that night! You were the danger to me," Harry told her angrily.

"I'm aware of that. Still, it doesn't change the facts. Sirius and I were fighting for the same person that night, We just didn't know it."

"And how was it that you were fighting for me?" Harry asked.

"Have you ever been offered something in exchange for doing a horrible thing?" Bella asked.

Harry's mind immediately went back to the end of first year.. Voldemort had offered to bring his parents back if he gave him the sorcerer's stone. "Yeah."

"What were you offered?" she wondered.

"Voldemort offered to bring my par... I mean the Potter's back from the dead," Harry replied. "But I said 'no.'"

"But you thought about it, didn't you?" Bella asked. She knew the answer though. She could see it on the boy's face.

"For a second," Harry admitted. "I knew he was lying though. Even if he could bring them back, he wouldn't have."

Bella nodded. "And I knew that the dark lord probably wouldn't fulfill his promise to me as well, but for me it was a risk I had to take. If there was even a slight chance he'd come through, I had to take it."

"And what were you promised?" he wondered.

"My son."

"So you're saying you joined Voldemort for me," Harry asked skeptically. "No way. I don't believe it. You hate muggleborns and halfbloods just like he does. You can't tall me that's all for show."

"Exactly. You're absolutely right, Harry. I think that muggles and muggleborn's should stay in their own world, so why would I follow someone like Tom Riddle? A pathetic, egotistical maniac, born to a muggle father?" Bella asked. She didn't really hate halfblood's, but she did feel that a wizard with a muggle parent was not as good as those with two muggle parents, so for someone like Riddle to try to pretend he was better than everyone else, that was a huge insult to her.

Harry found himself quite shocked. He never thought he'd hear Bella speak that way about Voldemort. She always seemed to agree with Voldemort, and it seemed she did at least somewhat, which was why she didn't follow him. "So you're prejudiced, but you don't follow Voldemort?"

"Correct. I'm pretty strong in most of the pureblood beliefs, but that doesn't mean I want to go out and kill muggles and mudbloods,"

"But you have," he pointed out.

"Yes, but not because I believed they didn't have the right to live. I did it because I thought the payoff would be you. I wanted my son back. I will not apologize for that," Bella said.

"So you're trying to say that everything you ever did was for me," Harry said in disbelief. He still wasn't sure he believed it. Yes, it did make a bit of sense, especially after what Bella did for him last night, but there was still one major thing that kept him from believing. "How was torturing the Longbottoms going to help you find me?" he asked. He was quite surprised when he say a flash of extreme guilt flash across Bella's face. She seemed human in that moment.

"There is nothing, other than losing you, that I regret more than what I did to the Longbottoms. I live with the guilt everyday," Bella told him.

"You taunted Neville with it!" Harry said angrily.

"Yes, because there were death eaters around. I couldn't exactly tell him how sorry I was. It was no different than when I boasted to you about killing Sirius. I didn't mean it."

"You still haven't told me why you did it. Why did you torture the Longbottoms?" Harry asked.

"You and Neville Longbottom were so very close in age. Just a few days apart. And they were in hiding,"Bella started.

Harry's eyes grew wide. He knew what she was trying to tell him. "You thought he was me. You tortured the Longbottoms because you thought they'd stolen me."

Bella nodded. "As I said, not a day goes by that I don't regret it."

Harry once more felt like his entire world was falling apart once more. Everything had been a lie. Absolutely everything. Who his parents were, the lives they truly led. Everything he thought he knew to be true was gone now. The only thing he seemed to be able to count on was that Voldemort was still an evil bastard. "Can I please go now?" He needed to get out of there. He needed to be alone.

Bella could see it all flash across her son's face. He was starting to believe her. She could tell it was ripping him apart, and that he needed to be alone. "You may."

Harry slowly got up and headed toward the stairs.


	13. Chapter 13

Remus and Tonks walked out of the Hogwarts dungeons and into the Great Hall. They'd been there looking for Severus, but he didn't seem to be there. "Where do you think he could've gone, Remus?" Tonks asked.

"I don't know," Remus said.

"This isn't good. Harry's out there somewhere injured, and Snape is nowhere to be found. What if Snape gets his hands on Harry?" Tonks asked. She then noticed as Remus tried to avoid her gaze. "You think he already has Harry, don't you?"

"Yes," Remus answered honestly. Harry and Severus both disappearing was too much of a coincidence. He had a feeling that wherever Severus was, Harry was with him. He just hoped they found him before it was too late.

Soon, they heard footsteps coming towards them. It was Minerva. "Remus, Tonks, what are you two doing here?"

"Hello, Minerva. We're looking for Severus. Have you seen him?" Remus asked.

"He left," Minerva said quietly. He conversation with Severus was still fresh in her mind. She couldn't get the things he said out of her mind.

"Do you know where he went?" Tonks asked.

"No."

Remus looked at Minerva suspiciously. There was something she wasn't saying. "Minerva, what's going on?"

"What do you mean?" Minerva asked, playing dumb. She wouldn't tell them what she and Albus had done. They'd hate her for it, especially if what Severus told her about himself and Bellatrix was true.

"There is something you're not telling us, and you need to tell us now," Remus said. He waited for her to say something, but she remained silent. "Minerva, Harry is missing. We need to know what's going on."

Minerva's eyes grew wide. "What do you mean he's missing?"

"No one has seen him since he left here yesterday," Tonks said.

"Did something happen while he was here?" Remus asked.

Minerva snorted. That was the understatement of the century. "Harry was upset."

"Yeah, we got that from the Weasley's," Tonks said, spitting out the name 'Weasley's' like it was poison. She still couldn't get over how they could turn on Harry so quickly. The twins seemed to be the only one's in that family that was sticking by him.

"We know he was upset, but did something else happen yesterday? Something you aren't saying?" Remus asked.

Minerva sighed. She knew she was going to have to tell them. They weren't going to let it go until she did. Besides, if Harry really was in trouble, she had to help. She owed him that much. "You have to understand, we were living in dark times. You Know Who was in full reign, and Harry was one of only two possible children that could stop it."

Remus narrowed his eyes. He had a feeling he wasn't going to like the rest of what she was going to say. "Exactly what are you trying to tell us?"

"Albus thought Harry might be the Boy Who Lived. Now that I think about it, I'm not sure how he ever could've thought that," Minerva said. After finally thinking about it, she realized that Harry didn't fit the prophecy. Harry was the son of two death eaters. He certainly wasn't born to those who thrice defied You Know Who. She had to wonder why Albus thought he did, or if he had some other reason for taking Harry.

"Minerva, what are you saying?" asked a frustrated Remus. He wished she'd just stop beating around the bush and just say it.

"Harry is not the son of James and Lily Potter. He's the son of Severus Snape and Bellatrix Lestrange," Minerva finally said.

Tonks and Remus looked at each other. That was the confirmation they'd been hoping to never get. "How do you know that?" Tonks asked.

"Because I helped take him away from them," Minerva admitted.

"You what?" Remus asked in absolute shock. Minerva had just admitted to kidnapping a baby. There was no way that could be right.

"Albus thought it best that Harry be raised by a light family," Minerva said.

"Well, what the bloody hell gave him the right to decide?" asked an angry Tonks. She was furious. Afterall, this was her family they were talking about. Granted, she didn't know Bellatrix, nor did she want to, but Harry was another matter entirely. She cared a great deal for him, and these people had pretty much destroyed his life.

"The headmaster was trying to protect the greater good," Minerva said lamely.

"And who was protecting Harry? Who protected Harry from a lifetime of pain and misery from people that couldn't care less about him?" Remus asked.

"Yes, what about that?" Tonks asked. "What about the so called blood wards? What a joke that turned out to be.

"I don't know why Albus felt that Harry needed to be left with the Dursley's," Minerva said.

"Of course not because all he had to do was say it was for the greater good, and you did whatever he wanted," Tonks said angrily.

"In the long run, I thought it would be better for Harry. Afterall, how would Harry have faired if he'd grown up with a mother like Bellatrix Lestrange?" She needed them to understand that this was what was best for Harry. Even if Severus had been telling the truth about Bellatrix, she was still known to be from a dark family. Harry would've grown up to hate all the people he know called friends. He would've likely turned dark.

"Do you even hear yourself?" Tonks asked. She couldn't believe the crap that was coming out of her old professor's mouth. "With logic like that, the ministry should just start taking children from families that aren't firmly on the light side. It's crazy."

"Children are not like trophies. You can't just take a them away because you don't think their parents are good enough," Remus added. He might not like Harry's parents, but Albus and Minerva had no right to play God with Harry's life. "Just tell us what happened after you spoke with Harry."

"He was angry. He demanded that I tell him who his mother was. When I finally did, he was really upset. Upset about who his mother was, and also upset about what I did. He yelled for a little while, and then he left. I don't know where he went after that," Minerva said.

"And what about Severus?" Remus asked.

"Severus knows also. Apparently, he overheard me talking to Harry," she said.

"I'm willing to bet he wasn't happy," Remus said coldly.

"No. He was angry. He threatened me a couple of times. He then told me that the reason he killed Albus was because Albus asked him to," Minerva told them. There was no use keeping it a secret. They couldn't hate her anymore than they already did.

That got Remus' attention. "What?"

"Apparently, Albus was already dying. Severus killed him to minimize his suffering," Minerva explained.

"Well, how's that for irony. Dumbledore steals his child, and he makes Dumbledore's death more bearable," Tonks commented. She was sure Snape was kicking himself for that now.

"This is too much. You stole a baby from a man who risked his life and freedom for the light," Remus said. This was too much. It was bad enough that they'd stolen someone else's child, but now it seemed that they did it someone who was on there side. They'd made a fool out of Severus. Remus turned to Tonks. "Let's get out of here before I do something that I'll regret."

"What about Harry?" Tonks asked as they started to leave.

"For now, we've just got to hope that he's with Severus."

xxxxxxxxxxx

Lucius was in his bedroom at Malfoy Manor packing his trunk as fast as possibly could. After what happened to Crabbe, Lucius weighed his options carefully. He found that he didn't have many. If he disobeyed the dark lord and left Potter alone, the dark lord would kill him. If he obeyed the dark lord and continued to target the boy, Bella would torture and kill him without mercy. Hell, she might just do that for the trouble he'd given the boy in the past. He really only had one option. Run.

"Father."

"Aaaahhh," Lucius yelped. He turned and was relieved that it was Draco. Ever since the news about Potter came out, he kept expecting Bella to come for him.

"Father, are you alright?" Draco asked. He was really surprised to see his father so jumpy. He normally wasn't afraid of anything.

"I'm fine. Just don't sneak up on me like that again," Lucius said.

Draco looked at his father's half packed truck. "Are you going somewhere?"

"Yes, as far away as I can get," Lucius said.

"Why?" he wondered.

"Because your crazy aunt might just want me dead," Lucius said.

At that precise moment, Draco saw his aunt apparate in behind his father. "Um, father-"

"And if she doesn't want me dead now, she surely will soon enou..." he trailed off as she felt the tip of a wand press against his back. "She's behind me, isn't she?

Draco nodded.

"Hello, Lucius," Bella said with a smirk on her face.

Lucius gulped. "Bella."

Bella gabbed him with her wand. "Walk over to the bed and sit down."

Lucius, having no other choice, did what she said.

Bella went over to a close by armchair and sat down. "Draco, you should have a seat too." Once she was done with Lucius, she was going to have a little chat with her nephew as well.

Draco went over to a table on the other side of the room and sat down in one of the chairs. He wasn't sure what was going on, but whatever it was, it was serious.

Bella turned back to Lucius and smirked. "So how's Crabbe?"

Lucius cringed at the mention of Crabbe. He could still picture the man bleeding to death on the floor.

"You're being unusually quiet, Lucius. Are you afraid?" Bella asked. She was taking great pleasure in the fear she bringing out in Lucius. It felt right that he should be afraid. Afterall, she was sure Harry was afraid whenever Lucius attacked him or threatened him. "Tell me Lucius. How many times have you raised your wand to my son?"

Draco was shocked by the question. He knew that his aunt had a child, but from what he'd been told, the boy was missing, maybe even dead.

"Bella, listen-"

"Answer the question!" Bella ordered.

"Twice. Once you know about. It was at the Department of Mysteries," Lucius answered.

"And the other time?" Bella asked.

"H-his second year. Right after lost me an elf," Lucius replied.

Draco gaped in shock. He knew what his father was talking about. The man had ranted about it for weeks. He was talking about how Potter had tricked him into freeing Dobby. That meant that Potter was his aunt's son. He was his cousin.

Bella gave Lucius the biggest death glare she could muster, which was truly saying something. Her hatred for him knew no bounds at that moment. "You attacked a twelve-year-old?"

"No, I didn't. He was fine. I didn't get a spell off," Lucius said quickly. He knew he was probably inches away from getting killed.

"But you tried. You tried to attack my son at the age of twelve. Tell me Lucius, what should I do about that?" Bella asked.

"I...I'm sor...sorry," Lucius stuttered in fear.

"You're only sorry because you know I'm about two seconds from killing you," Bella said knowingly. "So answer my question. What should I do about this? What would you do? Actually, that's a stupid question. You wouldn't do a thing. You're a pathetic excuse for a father," she said. She detested this man. She felt that way before she knew about Harry. He was pathetic. He put his devotion to the dark lord above everything, even his own son. She would never understand that. She'd lay down her life for her son. She couldn't understand how anyone could do to their child the things that Lucius had done to his.

"Bella, please," Lucius begged.

"Begging, Lucius. That's just like you. You're a pathetic excuse for a man. You attack children. You prey on the defenseless, probably because you know you can beat them"

"You've done it too. You attacked your own son," Lucius said. He didn't know what made him say it. Even as he said it, he knew it was stupid. Provoking Bella was never a good idea.

Bella stood up and approached Lucius. Her face was expressionless. "Never insinuate again that I am like you. Everything I've done has been for my son. Everything you've done has been for a pathetic, wannabe pureblood. I'd die for my son. You'd sell yours out for the slightest chance for more power.

Draco visibly flinched in his chair. He knew his aunt's words were true, but it still hurt to hear.

"Your son loves you. Merlin knows why, but he does. That's why I'm not going to kill you," Bella said. She loved her nephew, so she'd decided to spare Lucius.

Lucius looked up at her. His face held a mixture of shock and relief.

"This time," Bella added. "Make no mistake about it though. If you so much as point your wand in the vicinity of my son, I will not hesitate to torture and kill you. And trust me when I say that your death will make Crabbe's seem quick. Do we understand each other, Lucius?"

Lucius nodded his head vigorously.

Bella turned her head to trunk Lucius had been packing. "I see you are intended to run away like the coward you are. I suggest you go now."

Lucius immediately got up and gathered this trunk. He then ran out the door as fast as he possibly could.

Bella turned to Draco. "Stand up."

Draco immediately did so. He had to wonder what she was going to say to him. Afterall, he'd used his wand against Potter more than his father had.

"You can relax, Draco. I'm not going to berate you for a rivalry between two schoolboy's," Bella assured him.

Draco breathed a sigh of relief.

"However, you have recently made a decision that would make you my enemy," Bella said seriously

Draco instantly knew what she was talking about. He'd joined the death eaters. While that wouldn't have made him her enemy before, it would now. The dark lord wanted Potter dead. That made all his death eaters his aunt Bella's enemies.

"Now, I know you were just a kid when you joined the dark lord's ranks, and you did it with the insistence of your father, but it doesn't change the facts," Bella said.

"What do you want me to do?" Draco asked. He didn't know what to do. He was a death eater. He couldn't change that.

"You are not a child any longer. You don't need your father to tell you what to do. It's time for you to start making decisions for yourself," Bella told her nephew.

"What do you mean?" Draco asked. He honestly didn't understand what she was trying to say. He'd already joined the death eaters. He couldn't take it back.

"I'm giving you a choice, Draco. You don't have to remain in this life. You can choose to walk away, and I will protect you with the same fierceness that I protect my son," Bella vowed. She did love Draco. She didn't want him to be her enemy. "If you chose not to take my help though, you will be in the same position with me as your father is. My son comes first. If you do something to hurt him, you will get it back from me in tenfold. So make sure you think real hard before making a decision."

Draco nodded.

"Tell your mother that I was here," Bella said before apparating away.


	14. Chapter 14

Harry laid on his bed at Lestrange Manor. He could hardly believe where he even was. He was with people he once considered his enemies. Now he wasn't sure what they were. Bellatrix Lestrange was still the person that killed his godfather, but now she was also his mother. Professor Snape was still the hateful teacher that treated him horribly, but he was also his father now. Every single one of these people had hurt him or someone he cared about, but they'd done it for him. He didn't know what to do with that fact. He wasn't even sure he could accept it. Afterall, they still did all those things. Did it really matter that it was for a good reason?

Harry looked over to the doorway and saw Rodophus Lestrange standing there. He immediately sat up.

"Hey. Can I come in?" Rodophus asked.

Harry shrugged. "It's your house."

Rodophus walked inside and pulled the desk chair over to Harry's bed before sitting down. "This is your home now too. It was always supposed to be."

"Well, it doesn't feel like it," Harry said. He certainly didn't feel like this house was his home. Then again, nowhere had ever really felt like home. Hogwarts was the closest he'd ever gotten.

"No, I don't suppose it does," Rodophus said. He knew his stepson didn't think of this as home. How could he? He barely knew any of them, and what he did know wasn't good. "Maybe in time it will though."

Harry didn't see that being very likely. Yes, they'd had a reason for doing the things they did, but they still did them. There had to be another way to get what they wanted. "If you say so."

"You've spoken to Bella, correct?" Rodophus asked.

"Yes. She told me that she did what she did to get me back. I assume that's why you did them as well," Harry said.

Rodophus nodded.

"You know, I get that she wanted me back, but why did she have to torture and kill people to do it? Why didn't you all just go to the Ministry?" Harry asked.

"We did," Rodophus said. They'd gone to the ministry after it first happened, and they did nothing. "Do you think that we're the only one's that are prejudiced? I will fully admit that I am the typical pureblood. I dislike muggles and muggleborns. I think they should be kept far away from our world. But we're not the only ones. The supposed light is just as prejudiced. When they hear that a child has been taken from someone like the Potter's or the Weasley's, they'll jump into gear to find that child, but when a child is taken from families like the Black's or the Lestrange's, they couldn't care less."

"Is that what happened?" Harry asked in shock. There was no love lost between him and the ministry, but he never would've thought that they'd just sit back while a child was stolen. Then again, he never thought Dumbledore or McGonagall would steal a child and then try to make it seem okay.

"More or less," Rodophus replied. "They took no interest when you were taken. We really had no choice but to take matters into our own hands."

"But to go so far as to torture people… It's wrong," Harry said. Nothing justified torturing people.

"And was it also wrong for you to cast the torture curse on Bella?" he shot back.

"She'd just murdered my godfather!" Harry yelled defensively.

"I know. I'm not saying you're a horrible person for doing it. I'm trying to make a point here."

"And what's that?" Harry asked.

"The world isn't as black and white as you'd like to think it is. When someone kills someone you love, or steals your child from you, you're taken to a desperate place. A place where you are willing to do anything to anyone to achieve your ends," Rodophus explained. "Look, I don't pretend that the things I did were right, but they're not things I would take back either. Every single thing in one way or another was done to help you."

"So what you're saying is that it's okay to do bad things as long as you do it for the right reasons? Where do you draw the line?" Harry asked.

"That's a good question. A question that everyone has to answer for themselves. For me when it comes to you, that line doesn't exist. I don't think it exists for any parent in this type of situation," Rodophus said.

"So the ends justify the means?" Harry asked. He wasn't sure he could accept that. There had to be some kind of line.

"Not justifies them, but makes them a bit more understandable. As I said, the world isn't as black and white as you want it to be. There is not just light and dark. There are shades of gray," he said. "For instance, you casting the Cruciatus curse on your mother. It was what the light would call wrong, but in your eyes, it was necessary."

Harry wasn't sure what to say to that. Rodophus wasn't exactly wrong. He had practiced the Cruciatus curse on Bella after Sirius died. It wasn't much better than what they'd done to try to get him back.

"Let me ask you something, Harry. Do you think the light is all good?"

A few days ago, Harry wouldn't have hesitated to say 'yes,' but after what Dumbledore did, he couldn't say that any longer. "No."

"Because you've recently seen some of the supposed light for what it really is, haven't you?" Rodophus asked. He didn't wait for an answer. "Isn't it possible then that the supposed dark families aren't exactly as dark as some people like to say they are?

"Maybe," Harry said as he looked deep in thought. It was definitely something to think about. He couldn't really look at things the way he used to. After what Dumbledore did, and what he'd learned form Snape and the Lestrange's, he honestly couldn't see anything the way he used to. Dumbledore wasn't the pillar of light that he'd appeared to be, but that didn't make the Lestrange's good either. He just wasn't sure of anything anymore.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Draco was sitting in the living room in deep thought when his mother finally came home. "Hello, sweetheart.

"Hi," Draco said distractedly.

"Is everything alright?" Narcissa asked concerned.

"Aunt Bella was here?" Draco said.

"Really? When?" Narcissa asked. She hadn't seen her sister in days. She'd been staying away from her home on purpose. She knew that by now Severus had to have told Bella about their son, and she knew that her sister would be furious.

"A couple hours ago," he said.

"What was she doing here? Was she looking for me?" Narcissa asked.

Draco shook his head. "No, I think she just came to scare Father, which she certainly did."

"Oh, bloody hell, she didn't kill him, did she?" Narcissa asked. It didn't' really bother her if she did, but she knew that Draco would be hurt by it.

"No, but she scared him more than I've ever seen before," Draco said. It still shocked him. He'd never seen that level of fear in his father before. Not even when he was in front of the dark lord.

Narcissa couldn't say she was surprised that Bella went after Lucius. Lucius had tried to attack Bella's son on more than one occasion. That wasn't something she'd put up with. Not to mention that Bella hated Lucius long before she knew about Harry.

"Did you know that Harry Potter was Aunt Bella's son?" Draco asked. Judging by his mother's lack of surprise at what his aunt had just done, he was willing to bet that she did know.

"Yes. Your godfather told me yesterday," Narcissa said.

"Aunt Bella was really angry. She said that the only reason she didn't kill Father on the stop was because of me," Draco told her.

That didn't surprise Narcissa. She knew her sister well. She loved Draco, and would give Lucius one more chance for his sake. She also knew though that after that, all bets were off. "Did she say anything else?"

Draco nodded. "She told me that I had a choice. She said I had to decide if serving the dark lord was what I really wanted. She told me that if I chose to leave she would protect me, but that if I chose to stay, I'd become her enemy."

"Take her protection," Narcissa said immediately. She didn't want her son working for the dark lord. That put him in extreme danger. Not just from the dark lord, but from Bella as well. She knew meant what she told Draco. Bella loved Draco, but Narcissa wouldn't delude herself into thinking that her sister would chose her and Draco over Harry. That boy was and always would be her first priority.

"What? But I thought you wanted me to be a death eater," Draco said surprised.

"I _never_ wanted you to be a death eater. I let your father and the dark lord bully me. I shouldn't have allowed it," Narcissa said remorsefully. Allowing that to happen was the worst mistake she ever made.

"Mother, you couldn't have stopped it. No one can refuse the dark lord," Draco said.

Narcissa wanted to believe that was true, but it wasn't. Bella had proven that. She protected her son. She would kill anyone that dared to hurt her child. Now, she was even willing to do the same for Draco. "Yes, I could've, and I should've. But none of that matters now. You're aunt has offered to protect you. You have to go to her."

"I don't know," Draco said hesitantly. He was scared. If the dark lord found out that he was even considering this, there would be a target placed on his back.

Narcissa sat down next to her son and grabbed his hand. "Draco, I don't think you understand the seriousness of this situation. Your life will be in serious danger if continue to serve the dark lord. Your aunt is not joking around. If you go after her son, she will kill you. It won't matter that you're her nephew. Your aunt's loyalty will always lie with her child," she said. She needed her son to understand what would be come of him if he stayed on this path. "If you go to her now, she will protect you. If you don't, you will become just another threat that she needs to stop."

"What if she can't? What if the dark lord gets to me?" Draco asked.

"You have a better chance with her help. If you continue as a death eater, you won't stand a chance. Go," she urged.

Draco was terrified either way. He figured he was dead no matter what. But at least if he went to his aunt, he wouldn't have to hurt anyone. "Alright."

Xxxxxxxxxx

Severus found Bella sitting in the living room. "How did it go?" he hadn't' talked to Bella since she spoke with Harry. He'd been in the potions lab. He wanted to keep busy for awhile. After everything that was happening, he knew if he didn't do something to relieve some stress, he would lose it.

"Well, it wasn't the easies conversation I've ever had, but he didn't try to curse me either," Bella said.

"How do you think he took it?" Severus asked. He doubted it could've been well.

Bella sighed. "He sees the world as black and white right now. I think we're in for a rough road with him.

Just then Rabastan came in. "Draco's here."

Bella stood up as Draco entered the room. "Draco, what brings you by?"

"What did you mean when you said you'd protect me?" Draco asked.

"Exactly what I said. If you make the right decision, I will make sure no one can hurt you," Bella answered.

"How?" Draco wondered. He didn't really see how anyone could protect him.

"Well, Crabbe attacked my son, and now he's six feet under. Your father pointed his want to him, and he's running as far away as he can get. I can protect you as well, Draco. That is if you want me to," Bella said.

"I don't want to be a death eater," Draco said. It was the first time he'd said those words out loud.

"Good for you. I'll do everything I can to help you," Bella promised.

"So what do I do? Just come to you when I run into trouble?" Draco asked. He wasn't really sure how this was supposed to work.

"No, you're staying here with us," Bella informed him. She said that she'd protect him the same way she was protecting Harry, and that was exactly what she planned to do.

"What?"

"I can't protect you if you're at Malfoy Manor. You're going to have to stay here. Now when I say that, I don't mean that you spend your night here. I mean that you do not leave the property," Bella told him. She knew that he would hate it just as Harry did, but it was necessary. She wasn't going to allow him to put himself at risk by leaving.

"You can't be serious," Draco said. He wasn't going to cooped up like some little kid.

"I'm dead serious, Draco. Emphasis on 'dead.' Once the dark lord finds out that you've come to me, he will want you dead. Outside of this estate, you will not be safe," she explained.

"So I'm just supposed to hide here for the rest of my life?" Draco asked.

"No, not for the rest of your life. Just until the dark lord is stopped," Bella said.

"What if that doesn't happen?"

Bella chuckled. "It has already started. Crabbe was killed because he harmed what was mine. Your father fled because he saw what I did to the man that hurt my son. I'm guessing that every one of the dark lord's followers are questioning if they should continue to do so. That bastard is only as strong as he is because of his army. Once that's gone, he's nothing."

"And you really believe that they will abandon him?" Draco asked.

"With a little persuasion, yes," Bella replied.

Draco sighed. He really didn't have much choice. His only chance for survival was if his aunt helped him.

Bella turned to her brother-in-law. "Show him to a room, would you?"

Rabastan nodded and led Draco out of the room.

"You just invited chaos itself into this house," Severus said. He of course had no problem with helping his godson, but he knew things could get ugly.

"Come on, Severus, Draco isn't that bad," Bella said. Yes, her nephew could be stupid and a little too arrogant for her liking, but she could easily fix that.

"Draco by himself, no, but him and our son together equals chaos," Severus said knowingly.

"Well, I know they don't like each other, but it can't be that bad, can it?" Bella asked.

"I watched them for six years. It's bad. You'll be lucky if this house is still standing tomorrow," Severus said before walking away.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Voldemort was furious. He was destroying everything in his path. In the last twenty-four hours, everything had gone to hell. Ever since Bella murdered Crabbe, his death eaters started questioning things. Lucius had taken off like the coward he was, he'd lost Snape and all of the Lestrange's, and his remaining death eaters were more afraid of Bella than of him. He had to find a way to kill Potter fast. The problem was, Potter was no protected by Bella. He wasn't even sure how to find the boy. Not to mention that most of his death eaters were afraid to do anything that involved possibly harming the brat. He had to find a way to draw Potter away from his newfound family. Maybe he could use their mind connection to trick him again. Yes, that was what he'd do. He wasn't sure what he'd use yet, but he would do it. And once Potter was dead, all his death eaters would stop questioning him. He would rule the world.


	15. Chapter 15

Harry walked out of his room. He decided that as long as he was stuck in this house, he might as well look around. He started walking down the hall when he saw Draco Malfoy walking towards him. "Malfoy," he growled.

"Potter," Draco said with the same amount of hatred in his voice.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked. It was bad enough that he had to stay here with Snape and Lestrange. The last thing he needed was Malfoy in his face as well.

"What business is it of yours?" Draco asked.

Harry opened his mouth to speak, but promptly closed it. He was about to say that it was his family's home, but was not ready to call them that. He didn't think he'd ever be ready for that.

Draco took a certain amount of pleasure in his new cousin's discomfort. "So how does it feel to be an outsider in your own home?"

"Shut up, Malfoy," Harry ordered. He might not want to be there, but hearing Malfoy call him an outsider with his own family unnerved him. Probably because that was how he felt.

"You don't belong here, Potter. You don't fit in around my family," Draco continued. He knew his Aunt would ream him out for saying these things, but he didn't care right now. He didn't like Potter. It didn't matter that he was his cousin, but to him, Potter would always be the stupid little Gryffindor who refused his offer of friendship.

Harry felt anger build up inside of him. He didn't know why, but Malfoy's words bothered him. "Why don't you go back to that bastard you call a master and grovel like the coward you are?

"Shut up," he said.

Harry smiled. Now he was the one with the advantage. "You're pathetic, Malfoy. You and your father both have nothing better to do than to worship some power hungry halfblood."

"Don't speak about my father, Potter!" Draco yelled. His father was a really bad subject for him right now. The man had basically abandoned him.

"What's the matter, Malfoy? It doesn't feel good hearing horrible things about your parents, does it?" Harry asked. For years Malfoy had spoken badly about his parents, or at least the people he thought were his parents.

"Shut up about my father. You wouldn't know anything about my father. Your father only deals with you because he has to. You're nothing but an obligation to him. That's how you to everyone. Just a burden," Draco said.

"Shut up!" Harry screamed before shoving the other boy. He would listen to anyone call him a burden ever again. He'd dealt with that his whole life. He wouldn't listen to it anymore.

Draco shoved Harry right back.

Harry regained his balance and then punched Draco in the face, sending him to the ground. He then got onto of him and continued to punch him. After a few seconds, Draco kneed Harry in the stomach, gaining the advantage. He pulled Harry up a bit and started punching him in the stomach.

Soon, both Lestrange brothers came out to see the commotion. They both went over to try to break up the fight. "Hey! Knock it off," Rodophus said as he pulled Harry off of Draco. Rabastan in turn held Draco back.

Both boys tried to get away and have another go at each other.

"Enough, I said!" Rodophus yelled.

"What the hell is going on here!" Bella demanded as she came up the stairs. She'd heard the scuffle from downstairs.

"Isn't it obvious," Severus, who'd come out of his room when he heard the fight, asked. "Dumb and dumber decided to fight like a couple of little children."

Bella narrowed her eyes at both boys. "Is that right?"

Both Harry and Draco found something very interesting about their shoes.

"I'm waiting for an answer," Bella said impatiently.

They still didn't say a word.

"So nobody wants to talk, huh? Both of you downstairs now!" Bella ordered.

Rodophus and Rabastan let the boys go, allowing them to do as Bella requested.

"Severus," Bella said, motioning for him to join them downstairs. He was Harry's father and Draco's godfather he needed to be a part of this as well.

Bella and Severus followed the boys into the kitchen. "Sit down," Bella said.

Draco immediately sat down, but Harry stayed rooted in spot. He was sick of people telling him what to do. He was an adult. He shouldn't have to do what two people he barely knew, and pretty much hated told him to.

Bella looked her son directly in the eye. "You will sit down or I will sit you down myself."

Harry glared at her as he took his seat.

Severus and Bella then sat down as well. Bella sat in between Harry and Draco, while Harry sat on the other side of Harry. "So does someone want to us what happened?" Bella asked.

"Potter attacked me," Draco said, omitting the fact that he'd provoked the other boy.

"You're a bloody liar!" Harry yelled. He didn't know why he was surprised though. Malfoy was always making everything his fault.

"Enough!" Bella said. "You will both conduct yourselves calmly when you speak. Is that clear?"

Draco nodded.

"Harry?"

"Yes," he said after a minute.

"Good. Now I'm going to ask again, and you both answer politely. What happened?" Bella asked again.

"I was walking down the hall when Potter pushed me," Draco said.

Harry was about to yell again, but thought better of it. Instead, he took a deep breath and calmly said, "That's a lie."

"So you did not push him?" Severus asked.

"No, I did," Harry admitted "But he wasn't just walking down the hall. He was insulting me again."

"And what could he say to make you push him?" Bella asked.

Harry bit his lip. He didn't' want to tell her what Malfoy had said. He didn't want to appear vulnerable around either of them.

"When I ask you a question, I expect an answer," she told him.

"He called me a burden," Harry finally said.

"A burden to what?" Bella asked. Surely her son couldn't be talking about them, could he?

"To you," Harry said.

Both Severus and Bella glared at Draco. "Is that true?" Bella asked.

"He wouldn't shut up about my father," Draco said defensively.

"Alright, you know what? This stops now," Bella said firmly. "The two of you will not insult or fight with each other any longer. You are family. It's time you start acting like it."

"Just because he's my blood, that doesn't make him my family," Draco said.

"Who said I wanted to be related to you. I didn't ask for any of this," Harry said. He didn't want any of this. If he could choose, he'd go back to being the son of Lily and James Potter.

"Why do you the two of you hate each other so much?" Bella asked curiously. She honestly wanted to know what drove these two to such blind hatred.

"Because he's a git," Harry said.

"No, I want a serious reason," Bella said. "And don't tell me it's because of the different houses.

"Because the first time I met him, he acted like an arrogant, stuck up little git. He reminded me of everything I hated. He was everything that _he,_" Harry said, referring to Severus, "accused me of being.

Severus cringed. He did feel bad about how he treated his son. Sure, he hadn't known that Harry was his son, but that didn't excuse the way he treated the boy. He also knew that Harry was right about Draco. He was an arrogant prat to most people.

"All he's ever done since the day I met him was ridicule me and make fun of the fact that I don't have parents. If I wanted that, I'd have stayed home with my muggle relatives," Harry said. He didn't realize what he'd said until both Bella and Snape were staring at him.

"Draco, go upstairs, now," Bella ordered. She and Severus seriously needed to talk to Harry about what he'd just said.

Draco wasted no time in leaving. He didn't rally feel like getting yelled at any longer.

"Care to explain that comment?" Bella asked.

"It's nothing," Harry said dismissively.

"It is not nothing. Answer your mother's question," Severus said.

Harry sighed. "Look, my family didn't like me much. They hated everything to do with magic, including me."

"Did they hit you?" Bella asked in a low and dangerous voice. She wasn't angry at her son. She was angry at the muggle scum that had mistreated her son.

Harry hesitated. He knew if he told, Bella would likely go after them. On the other hand though, why should he even care. They certainly didn't care about him, so why should he give a damn about them. "Sometimes. Not hard though. They'd give me the occasional backhand. They threatened to more often than they actually did."

Bella quietly seethed. She was going to kill them. She would destroy them with her bare hands. How dare they put their filthy hands on her child.

"What else, Harry?" Severus asked. He wanted to know just how far his son's mistreatment by the Dursley's went.

"Until I got my Hogwarts letter, my room was a cupboard. They told the neighbors that I was a criminal that should be avoided. They barely fed me, and they were always tell me how bad their lives were because of me," Harry told them. There were tears in his eyes be the end. He didn't know why he told them all of that. Once he started, he couldn't seem to stop.

Severus hesitantly put a hand on his son's shoulder.

Harry felt the gesture. A part of him wanted to pull away, and if it were any other time, he just might, but right now, he needed it.

"Well they're dead," Bella said. She was going to kill them. She was going to find the filthy muggles that dared to put their hands on her boy, and she was going to tear them apart.

"They treated me like vermin because of what I was," Harry cried. That was probably partially why he felt the need to defend muggles and muggleborns from the pureblood prejudices. He knew what it was like to be alienated just because he was different.

"Harry, look at me," Bella said.

Harry lifted his head to meet her gaze.

"You did not deserve that. People like that are the reason that people like me hate muggles. They are the horrible ones, not you," she told him.

"I thought I was passed this," Harry said.

"You're never passed something like that," Severus said knowingly.

"This is why you got physical with Draco when he said you were a burden to us, isn't it?" Bella asked.

"I'm sick of people calling me that. I hate it!" Harry said angrily

"He will not say anything like that to you again, I assure you," Bella promised. She fully intended to have a conversation with her godson. "You in turn will not speak about his father. Is that understood?"

Harry nodded.

"Go on upstairs," she said. She knew her son was still a bit upset and would want to be alone for awhile.

Harry got up and left the room.

Bella turned to Severus. "Did you know about this?"

"I saw a couple of things during Occlumency lessons, but I never imagined this," Severus told her.

"I'm going to kill them. I'm going track them down and I'm going to rip them limb from limb," Bella said angrily.

Normally this by where Severus would try to stop Bella from doing something stupid, but in this case, he wanted to help her. "I'd love to help you with that."

"How are we going to fix this, Severus? Even if he learns to stop hating us, can he really ever trust us after what they did to him," Bella asked. She was truly worried about her son's self-esteem. He couldn't much self-esteem or self-worth.

"I may be able to help him with that," Severus said. He was probably in the better position to talk to Harry about the pain he'd suffered. He knew what it was like to be hurt in that way.

Bella nodded. "I better go talk with Draco. Then I'm going to find those blasted muggles and rip them apart," Bella said before she got up and headed upstairs.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Draco was laying on his bed when his aunt came in. "Sit up," Bella ordered.

Draco sat up and swing his legs over the side of the bed.

"Let me make myself perfectly clear. You will never tell Harry that he is a burden to me ever again." Bella said.

"But it's okay for to speak about my father?" Draco asked angrily.

"No, it's not. He will not speak about your father either. There will be no fighting whatsoever. You will be civil to each other, or you will say nothing at to each other. Is that clear?" Bella asked.

Draco nodded.

"It better be. If either one of you breaks this rule, there will be consequences. If you insist on acting like a child, you will be treated like one," Bella told him her son and nephew might be of age, but she would only treat them like adults if they showed that they deserved it.

"I understand."

"Good. I'll see you later," Bella said before leaving. She had some muggles to go find and kill.


	16. Chapter 16

Severus and Bella approached the Dursley's 'safe' house. It obviously wasn't all that safe because they were able to find it pretty easily. "Are you sure no one will catch us,"

"Positive. I checked, that idiot Mundungus is on duty tonight. Why these idiots even let him guard a dog is beyond me," Severus said.

"Alright, let's do this," Bella said as she approached the front door. "_Alohomora." _She yanked the door open as hard and as loud as she could in order to create the most fear possible. The first thing she saw when she walked inside was a big fat man, and a skinny woman that reminded her of a horse.

"Who the bloody hell are you!" Vernon Bellowed.

"I'm your worst nightmare, Muggle," Bella said with her wand trained on him.

Vernon backed up a bit. "You're one of those freaks, aren't you?"

Bella looked at Severus. "Severus, did this disgusting muggle just call me a freak."

"That's what it sounded like," Severus said.

Bella advanced on a retreating Vernon. "You dare call me a freak, Muggle.? You're the freak, you disgusting piece of scum.

"You're one of those freaks that want to hurt my blasted nephew. You won't be able to. Those other freaks are protecting us."

Bella laughed her fake crazy laugh. "Those other 'freaks,' are idiots. Either that or they just don't care that much about protecting your pathetic lives."

"No, please leave us alone!" Petunia begged.

"Do you hear this, Severus? They want us to show them mercy," Bella said before turning back to Petunia. "Tell me, Muggle. Where was your mercy for the little boy that was placed in your care?"

"You're doing this for the boy?" Vernon asked surprised. He thought for sure that they were there because they wanted to hurt his nephew.

"You will call him by his name, Muggle. His name is Harry. Use it," Bella said. Sure, that wasn't technically his name, but it was what he knew, and she refused to take one more thing away from him.

"Why do you care about the little freak anyway?" Petunia asked.

"_Everte Statum!_" Bella chanted, sending the other woman flying into a wall. It wasn't enough to knock her out, but it likely hurt like hell. "Call him that foul name again, and I will make you wish you were never born." That was actually going to happen anyway, but the muggles didn't need to know that just yet.

"How dare you use that on rubbish on my wife?" Vernon bellowed.

"_Crucio!" _Bella said, sending the man to the ground screaming. "How dare you hurt my son?"

"I've never touched your brat," Vernon said through the pain. He didn't even what this crazy freak was talking about.

"_Crucio!" _Bella chanted again. "I warned you muggles about speaking that way about my child.

"H-Harry is your son?" A terrified Petunia asked.

"That's right. Any you're going to pay for what you've done to him," Bella vowed.

"T-that's impossible. H-he's my s-sister's child," Petunia trembled.

"Afraid not. That crackpot old man lied to you," Bella said.

"Not that that makes your actions better. "_Ruptispecktus!" Severus chanted._

_Petunia screamed as she felt a severe pain in her eyes. _"Please stop!"

"Why should we? You didn't stop when our son begged you to," Severus said.

"The little freak got what he deserved!" Vernon yelled.

"Vernon, shut up!" Petunia yelled. Sometimes her husband was so thick. What part of these people torturing him didn't he understand.

"You should listen to her, Dursley. "_Furnunculus!" _Severus chanted.

Vernon screamed as large boils appeared on his body. "You monsters!"

"We're the monsters? You're the ones that are beating on little boy's," Bella said. "You well pay for it, Muggle. "_Crucio."_

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Tonks and Remus arrived to watch over the Dursley's. It was there shift. They got there to find Mundungus asleep at his post. Tonks slapped the man upside the head. "Mungdungus, you idiot, you're supposed to be watching them, not sleeping."

"I was watching them. I wasn't asleep that long," Mungdungus said.

"Just get lost," an irritated Tonks said.

Mungdungus nodded and then left.

Tonks shook her head in frustration. "Why do we let that idiot guard people anyway?

"He has his uses," Remus said.

"Maybe," Tonks conceded. She then started pacing. She wanted to get this shift over with.

"Tonks, that isn't going to make this go any faster," Remus said.

"I just don't see why we have to protect these hateful muggles while Harry is out there somewhere," Tonks said. She was really worried about her cousin. She would much rather go look for him than stay and guard the Dursleys.

"There's nothing we can do for Harry right now. We just have to hope that Harry is with Severus," Remus said.

"And what if Minerva was wrong about Severus? What if he truly is a death eater? You saw the blood, Remus. What if someone has hurt him?" Tonks asked.

"Trust me, all those questions have gone through my head as well, but what exactly can we do right now? He has dropped off the face of the Earth. We just have to try to think positive for now," Remus said. He was worried as well, but he was trying not to dwell on all of the possible negative outcomes.

Tonks sighed. "I guess you're right." She then turned her attention to the house. She noticed shadows walking around. She then saw what looked like sparks from a wand. "Remus, someone's in there."

The two grabbed their wands rushed to the door. They got inside and found the Dursley's being hexed and tortured by Severus and Bellatrix Lestrange.

Bella glared at Severus "I thought you said we wouldn't be noticed."

"They must have switched shifts," Severus told her before turning to Remus and Tonks.

While the others were distracted, Vernon and Petunia left the room as quick as possible.

"Lupin, take your little girlfriend and get out of here."

"I don't think so, Snape. You know, for a minute I thought that maybe you hadn't switched sides, but I guess I was wrong," Remus said. Now he was back to being very afraid for Harry. If Harry was with Severus, he was in trouble. 'Where's Harry?"

Bella was the one to answer. "He's fine."

"Where is he?" Remus asked again.

"None of your business, Lupin. He is safe from you and your band of idiots," Severus said. He didn't like Remus Lupin. He never bothered to hide that fact, but what was more was that he didn't trust him. For all he knew Lupin had been part of all this. Also, if Lupin knew where Harry was, he would try to take him out of there, which would not be in Harry's best interests. Right now, the safest place for Harry was Lestrange Manor.

"We found blood at Grimmauld Place," Tonks said.

Bella chuckled. "It wasn't his."

Tonks cringed a bit. Her aunt's laugh made it sound like she was behind whatever it was. "Let me guess, it was your handy work?"

Bella smirked. "You could say that." She then noticed the look her niece was giving her. "I wouldn't waste any tears over him. He was a death eater, who was torturing the boy you seem to care so much about. He got what he deserved."

Tonks then realized who it was. A death eater had been found dead that day. "Crabbe."

Bella nodded.

"You killed him?"

"I surely did," Bella said without remorse. Afterall, why should she feel anything for the man that tortured her child.

Remus looked at Severus. "Were you there for this?"

"No, but I wish I was," Severus said. He would've gladly helped Bella end Crabbe's pathetic existence.

"And what is it you're doing here?" Remus asked. He didn't really need an answer, but he wanted them to say it.

Bella made a fake pondering face. "Call it a life lesson."

"I'd call it torture," Tonks said.

"Whatever you want," she said.

Remus turned to Severus. "You know, I'd expect this from her, but if you truly are on our side, how can you do this."

"Oh, quit with the preaching!" Bella yelled. "You come talk to us about right and wrong when your baby is stolen from you in the dead of night, or when you walk in on him screaming out in pain from being subjected to the torture curse, or when he tells how the muggles he was left with hit him and starved him just because of what he can do. It's easy to cling to moral when you don't have to deal with your child being hurt like that.

Tonks was taken aback. Bellatrix honestly seemed to care about Harry. She'd never seen that kind of emotion from the older woman before. She'd only encountered the woman a couple times, and each time, she'd showed no emotion whatsoever.

"You actually expect us to believe that you care about Harry?" Remus asked in disbelief. He actually could probably understand Severus' and Bellatrix's actions if he thought they gave a damn about them, but he didn't. Bella was a killer who went after anyone that got in her was, and Severus had treated Harry like crap since the day he met him.

"He's my son. A fact you don't seem to be too surprised about," Bella said. Now she was about ready to kill them. It was sounding like they knew, which meant that they were partially responsible for what happened to her son.

"We found out today form Minerva McGonagall," he said.

"Oh, well the next time you see her, tell her I'll be stopping by for a chat," Bella said with an evil smirk on her face. McGonagall was next on her hit list.

"Where is Harry?" Remus asked for the third time.

"I told you, he's safe," Bella said. She would tell them where he was. They might try to take him away, and that was something she would not allow.

"Let us see him then," Remus said.

"Just how stupid do you think I am? The second we take you to him, you will attempt to take him somewhere that the dark lord and his cronies will probably be able get to him," Bella said. She wasn't stupid. She knew that was his plan and there was no way she was going to let that happen. "You can write to him if you'd like, but you will not get near him in the foreseeable future."

"Harry hates you. I doubt he wants to be anywhere near you," Remus said with a glare.

"Yeah, you might just be right about that," Bella conceded. "But at the very least, he knows he's safe with me. He can walk out of a room and know for absolute certain that nothing with harm him. He was walking on eggshells around you people. Every step he took, he wondered if it would be his last. All because you people put all your hopes in a teenage boy."

"That isn't true. We do not all see Harry as some kind of weapon against the dark lord," Tonks said. She couldn't speak for anyone else, but she certainly didn't see Harry as some kind of savior.

"If that's true for you, you're in the wrong line of work. Whether it be the Ministry or Dumbledore's cronies, they all see my son as their savior," Bella said. "Well, let me tell you something. They better find someone else. I will not allow them to use my son as some pig for slaughter."

"I think we're finished here, Bella," Severus said. Sure, he wished he'd been able to do more to the Dursley's, but now that they'd been interrupted, it was time to leave.

"Fine," Bella said before apparating out. Severus followed.

"Well, that was unexpected," Tonks said.

"Yeah. We have to find Harry fast," Remus said. He didn't trust Severus or Bellatrix one bit. Not only was Bellatrix a death eater, but she'd killed Sirius. He hated her for that, and he knew Harry felt the same.

"What if she's right, Remus?" Tonks asked. She couldn't get her aunt's words out of her head. She wasn't exactly wrong. The ministry and Dumbledore had pretty much used Harry as a weapon. They didn't care about him as a person.

"You mean about the ministry?" Remus asked.

Tonks nodded.

"She probably is. The ministry doesn't give a damn about Harry. We do though. He can keep him safe," Remus said.

"I don't know. I think he might just be safer wherever he is. You said it yourself, Harry disappeared without a trace. Wherever he is, no one will be able to find him," Tonks said.

"Tonks, this is Bellatrix Lestrange we're talking about. She tortured three people in the last twenty-four hours. One of which is dead," Remus reminded her.

"Yes, but every single one of those people caused Harry pain. Can you honestly say you wouldn't have done it if you'd walked in on it?" Tonks asked. She didn't like Bellatrix, but after today, she understood her little more. She'd seen the way she spoke of Harry. She knew he aunt cared for the boy.

"I-I don't know," Remus said. He would love to say that he wouldn't torture anyone like that, but there were some things you just didn't know until you lived them. He supposed that was the point Lestrange had been trying to make.

"Look, lets just handle things with the Dursley's. We can deal with everything else later," Tonks said.

Remus nodded and led the way into the other room to find where the Dursley's had run off to.


	17. Chapter 17

The next morning, Harry sat across from each other glaring. They were told they couldn't fight or insult each other, but no one said they had to like each other.

Rodophus and Rabastan, who were also at the table, exchanged looks. They had a feeling the war between Harry and Draco was far from over.

"What are you looking at Potter?" Draco asked with a sneer.

"Nothing special, Malfoy," Harry retorted.

"Come on you two, knock it off," Rodophus said. He then turned to Draco. "And you, quit with the 'Potter' stuff. He's not a Potter." Hearing Draco call Harry 'Potter' really irritated him. The boy was not a Potter. Hearing people call him that just reminded him of what had been taken from all of them, and he knew Bella felt the same way.

"Is there a problem here?" Bella asked from behind them.

Draco and Harry turned to see that she and Severus had come into the room. "No problem," Draco said.

"There better not be," Bella said before taking her seat between Rodophus and Harry. Severus sat on the other side of his son.

Everything was pretty silent while they all ate breakfast. Soon, two owls flew into one of the windows. Harry recognized one of them right away as his owl. "Hedwig!" He went to go to her, but Bella held him back.

"No, not yet. Not until we know it's safe," Bella said.

Severus, meanwhile, retrieved the letters from both owls. He then used his wand to check them for spells. The first one came back clean, and he put it aside. After he started scanning the second one, he scowled and muttered something about stupid werewolves under his breath. He'd found that the letter had been turned into a portkey. He was positive that it was from Lupin. He quickly lifted the spell and handed both letters to his son. "Alright, they're safe."

Harry opened the first letter and scanned down to see that it was from Hermione.

_Dear Harry,_

_Where are you! No one has heard from you in days. Are you alright? We heard about who your mother was. I want you to know that it doesn't matter to me.. It didn't matter to the twins, Remus, or Tonks either. I'm sorry to say that the rest of the Weasley's are not as loyal as we thought they were. They've completely turned against you. They keep talking about how dark you must be. I'm so sorry Harry. I just want you to know that I'll always stand by you. I can't care who you're parents are, you'll always be my friend. Please write back and let me know that you're okay._

_Hermione_

Harry was devastated by the time he finished reading. He couldn't believe that the Weasley's had turned on him. They'd been like a family to him since he started Hogwarts. Was that all a lie? How could they just turn on him?

"Harry, what's wrong?" Bella asked. She saw her son's face completely fall after he started reading.

Harry didn't answer. He simply got up and bolted from the room.

"Harry!" Bella called. She and Severus then got up and followed their son up the stairs. They found in his room, curled up in a ball on his bed crying.

Bella sat down next to her son and put an arm around him. "What happened, Harry?"

"H-He's supposed to be my friend," Harry cried.

"Are you speaking of Weasley? Is he the one who sent you the letter?" Severus asked

"No, Hermione. She told me that Ron and most of the Weasley's have turned on me. That they think I'm dark," Harry said.

Severus silently seethed. This was one of the major reasons he disliked the Weasley's,. They were so rigid when it came to light and dark. To them if you weren't light, you were dark. And if you came from a dark family, you must be dark yourself. They refused to see the grey area. "Harry, the Weasley's are ignorant. They believe that a person must be either light or dark. They also believe that a person is only as good or bad as his parents. The real world doesn't work like that. It's not that black and white."

Harry nodded. That was what Rodophus had told him, and he was beginning to see that a little. "He was my friend though."

"If he could turn on you with the drop of a hat, he was never your friend," Bella told him.

"This isn't the first time Weasley has turned on you, Harry. He's done it before," Severus reminded him. He'd tried to stay out of the personal affairs of the children at Hogwarts, but it was hard not to hear things. He knew all about how Weasley had stopped talking to his son during his fourth year.

That was true. Ron had abandoned Harry at least once before. This was different though. He'd never called him dark before. "It's not the same. Fighting with someone is different than having someone you care about call you evil.

"I know, and I know that it hurts that he's turned on you, but in the end, I think you'll be better off. You do not need a friend who is going to abandon you whenever it suits him," Severus said.

"I guess so," Harry said. When he thought about, he knew that Snape was probably right. A real friend didn't stop being your friend whenever things got tough. Hermione never did that. Even now, after finding out that he was the son of two death eaters, she'd still stood by him, and the twins had as well. He was just really that the first friend he'd ever had was now turning on him. "Can I be alone?"

"Of course," Bella said. She then got up, and she and Severus left the room.

Harry laid down on his bed and closed his eyes. He soon fell into a blissful sleep.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

A few hours later, Harry was feeling well enough to write Hermione a reply.

_Dear, Hermione,_

_Thank you for telling me about Ron. I can't say that I was happy about it, but I'm glad I now know who my true friends are. I appreciate that you and the twins have stayed true. I'm alright. I'm with my parents. Now don't flip out about that. It's actually not that bad. I can't say that I'm fond of any one here, but I know they won't hurt me, so you can rest assured that I'm perfectly safe. In fact, I think I'm safer here than I was at Hogwarts. I hope to see you soon._

_Harry_

After writing the letter, Harry put it aside and picked up the other letter he'd received that day. He hadn't read it yet because he'd gotten distracted by Hermione's letter. He opened the letter and began reading.

_Harry,_

_It's Remus. I've made this letter a portkey, but given the people you reside with, I'm betting they found it and deactivated it._

Harry stopped reading for a minute. That was why Snape got that look on his face when he was checking for spells. He must have found the spell for the portkey. Harry then went back to the letter.

_I know about your true parentage. I want you to know that I did not know about it until recently. I also want you to know that it changes nothing for me. You're still my cub, and I love you very much. If you can I want you to tell me where you are, so that I can come and get you. At the very least, I want you to let me know that you are alright. Tonks and I went to Grimmauld Place and found a struggle and some blood. Now, I've been assured that it was not your blood, but given the source, I would feel much better if you told me that yourself. Please right me back as soon as possible._

_Love Remus._

Harry smiled. He was glad to know that he still had Remus in his corner. Hermione told him he was, but he was glad Remus himself told him as much. He quickly grabbed a quill and parchment, and composed a reply that was a lot like the one he wrote for Hermione.

He then went over to Hedwig and put them on her leg. "Take these to Hermione and Remus, girl." Hedwig hooted before leaving.

Seconds after Hedwig left, Harry heard a knock on his door. "Yeah?

The door was opened, and Severus was soon seen. "We need to talk." He'd put off his talk with Harry a few hours because of the incident involving the Weasley's, but he really didn't want to wait another day.

"What about?" Harry asked.

"Sit down," Severus said.

Harry sat down in the chair by the desk. Severus in turn sat down in an armchair across from him.

"We need to speak about the Dursley's," Severus said. He knew Harry wouldn't want to talk about it anymore than he ever wanted to talk about his father, but that would not be good for his son. He would become angry and bitter, and that was something that Severus would not allow.

Harry groaned. He didn't want to talk about that. He was embarrassed that he'd told them as much as he did. "I don't want to talk about that. It's over."

"It's not over. I think what happened last night proves that," Severus said.

"It wasn't that big a deal. It's not like they beat me on a daily basis," Harry said.

"They abused you. They might not have hit you often, but they belittled you, and neglected. That is abuse," Severus explained.

"Even if it is, what does it matter? It's over. I don't have to deal with them anymore," Harry said. He really wanted out of this conversation. He hated even thinking about the Dursley's.

"It matters because it still affects you. It rips you apart inside. It messes with your head. It makes you feel like you'll never be anything more than the worthless freak they said you were," Severus said. He knew exactly what his son felt when it came to what was done to him.

Harry was shocked. It was like Snape could read him like an open book. That was exactly how he felt. His biggest fear was that one day, everyone would start to see him the way the Dursley's did. "How do you know that?"

"Because I lived it. I was abused by my father. He was a bitter drunk, and he hated wizards. He treated me just like the Dursley's treated you. I grew up just as miserable as you did," he told his son. He knew he'd have to divulge the truth about his past. It was the only way his son would truly understand.

Harry was surprised. He never knew that Snape was abused. Then again, he never knew much of anything about the man. "How did you get past it?"

"I didn't. I bottled it up inside until I became bitter and angry. I made sure that no one would be able to abandon me," Severus said.

'Because you made sure there was no one to abandon you," Harry realized.

Severus nodded. "And I'll be damned if I allow that to happen to you. I don't want you to be like me. I want better for you. I want you to have a life that isn't controlled by the monsters that caused you pain.

"How do I do that?" Harry asked. He didn't want to be bitter either, but he wasn't sure how to stop it.

"Talk about it. Don't let it control you," Severus said.

Harry took a deep breath. He didn't want to do it. He didn't want to talk to anyone about this. It was too painful. But he also didn't want to become like Snape. "When I was little, I thought there was something wrong with me. That's how I was treated anyway. I didn't even know my own name until I was five. Then again, I suppose I still don't know what it is," he said. He highly doubted his name was really Harry. "That was when I started school. Before that, I was only ever called 'Boy' or 'Freak.' When You're called that your whole life, you start to believe it."

Severus seethed. He had half a mind to go reintroduce the Dursley's to his wand. "You are not a freak. That's just something the Dursley's told you to keep you in line."

"A part of me knows that, but the other part of me thinks I'll never be anything other than the freak in the cupboard," Harry told him.

Severus sighed. "And I certainly didn't help that, did I?"

"Why did you hate me so much? Was it really because you thought I was James Potter's son?" Harry asked. He needed to know. He never really understood it.

"There's no answer that will satisfy you. Yes, I hated James Potter. The man tormented me since I got to Hogwarts. I shouldn't have taken it out on you though," Severus said remorsefully. "I'm very sorry."

"Thanks," Harry said. He appreciated the apology. It did mean something to him. He never thought he'd hear Snape tell him he was sorry. Then again, he never thought Snape would turn out to be his father. "Where do we go from here?"

Severus was actually relieved by the question. It meant that Harry might just be willing to give them a chance. "I'm not sure. We have plenty of time to figure it out though."

Harry nodded. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Did you love me?" He had to know if Snape really did love him. He knew that Bella did. Her actions were proof of that. No matter how he felt about her, he knew that she loved him. He wasn't sure about Snape though.

"With everything in me. Please, never doubt that," Severus said.

Harry sighed. "I don't know that I'll ever be able to see you as a father, but I'll try." He wasn't sure he'd ever be able to see Snape as anything other than the man that tormented him in school, but he owed it to himself to try.

"I'd like that. Will you try with your mother as well?" Severus asked. He wasn't trying to push the boy, but he felt it important that Harry bond with Bella as well.

"That's a little more complicated. She killed Sirius," Harry said. He now knew that Bella had killed Sirius because she wanted to find him, but he she still killed someone that he loved. Hew wasn't sure he could forgive that.

"I know how you felt about Black. I know how devastated you were when he died, but you need to know that Bella didn't mean to kill him."

"I know that. I know it wasn't intentional, but it doesn't change the fact that it happened. I just can't let that go. I'll try to forgive her, but I just don't know," he said.

Severus stood up. "I hope that you can," he said before heading towards the door.

"What should I call you?" Harry asked. He wasn't even close to ready to call the man 'Father,' or anything like that, but he couldn't go around calling him 'Snape' either.

"Whatever you wish. If you want you can call me Severus for now," he said.

Harry nodded.


	18. Chapter 18

Tonks walked into her parents' home. She needed to tell her mother about Harry. Afterall, Harry was her family. She deserved to know that. She walked into the kitchen, where she found her mother cleaning.

"Nymphadora, what a wonderful surprise," Andromeda said smiling.

Tonks glared at her mother. "Mother, for the millionth time. Don't call me that retched name. It's just Tonks."

Andromeda smiled. "So what brings you by? Are you staying for dinner?"

Tonks got serious. "No, I'm not. There are some things I need to tell you."

"What is it? Is it about the war?" Andromeda asked concerned.

"Yes and no," Tonks said as she led the way to the kitchen table, where they both sat down across from each other. "It's not directly about the war, but it does impact it."

"What is it?" she asked anxiously. Whatever it was, it sounded serious.

"It's about Harry Potter?" Tonks said.

"What about him? Is he alright?" Andromeda asked.

"As far as I know, yes. The thing is, he's family," Tonks told her.

"Yes, I know. He's distantly related to the Black family," Andromeda said.

"No, not distantly. He's very closely related to us. As in immediate family."

"How is that possible? He's a Potter. The Potter's aren't that closely related to the Blacks," Andromeda said.

"Harry isn't a Potter. He was never the son of James and Lily Potter. That was a lie fabricated by Dumbledore," Tonks said in disgust.

"What? Why would he do that?" Andromeda asked. She had a hard time believing that Albus Dumbledore would lie about a child's parentage. What would be the purpose of it anyway? "Who are Harry's parent's anyway?"

"Harry's parents are Severus Snape and Bellatrix Lestrange?" she said.

Andromeda gaped. She was completely shocked. It wasn't the fact that Bella had a son that shocked her. That she already knew. No, what shocked was that said son was Harry Potter. That was something she never would've guessed. "Harry Potter is Bella's son? Are you sure?"

"Positive. I was almost positive when I found out he was Severus Snape's son. It all added up. Then Remus and I went to talk to Minerva McGonagall, and she confirmed it," Tonks explained.

"How did she know?"

"She was a part of it. She and Dumbledore took it upon themselves to decide that Harry shouldn't be raised by his rightful parents," Tonks said angrily. What Dumbledore did infuriated her. He had no right to decide who got to be Harry's parents. It didn't matter who they were. They had the right to their own child.

"Dumbledore stole Bella's son?" Andromeda asked.

Tonks nodded. "With help from McGonagall."

"Well, Merlin help her now," Andromeda said. She knew her sister very well. She was dangerous on a good day and downright deadly on a bad one. When she found out about Harry, it would definitely be a bad one. "Where's Harry now? Bring him here. He belongs with family."

"I don't know where he is specifically, but he is with family," Tonks said.

Andromeda narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean? He's not with Bella, is he?"

Tonks nodded. "With her and Severus both. I think he's alright though. I saw Bellatrix last night. She honestly seemed to care about him."

"That doesn't surprise me. Bella is as cold as they come to most people, but there are a select few she would lay down her life for. I imagine her son would be one of them. What worries me is that she might try to get him to join You Know Who," she said.

"I don't think so. She seemed more concerned with keeping him away from You Know Who. She killed a death eater who was hurting him," Tonks said.

Andromeda pondered for a minute. "Now that you mention it, it never made a lot of sense for Bella to Join You Know Who."

"Why? I though you said she always stuck to the old pureblood ways when it came to blood purity," Tonks said.

"She did. That's why it didn't make sense for her to join him. I mean, Bella didn't really have a huge problem with halfbloods, but there's no way she'd even bow down to one," Andromeda explained. "At least I never thought she would."

"So why did she?" Tonks wondered.

"It's a good question. I don't know. It coincided with Harry disappearing from her life though," Andromeda said.

"You think that her son's kidnapping had something to do with her joining the death eaters?" she asked. It seemed a bit too coincidental to be anything else.

"Could be. It might have been what drove her mad. Of anything could do that, it would be the loss of a child," Andromeda said. As a mother she knew that losing a child was every mother's worst fear. It wasn't definitely something that could drive someone over the edge.

"That's the other thing. When I saw her, she didn't seem crazy. She was pissed, and taking her anger out on the muggles that Harry used to live with, but she seemed mostly sane," Tonks said.

"Sane huh? I haven't seen a sane Bella in about seventeen years," Andromeda said. "So you think Harry's safe then?"

"I do. Remus isn't convinced. He's set in his views though. He thinks what Bellatrix did to Crabbe and the Dursley's was wrong," Tonks said. She and Remus talked about it the night before. She wasn't sure she agreed with Remus. She saw the other side. She knew that all those people caused Harry pain. They deserved what they got.

"What exactly did she do to them?"

"She tortured and killed Crabbe. He apparently had just subjected Harry to the Cruciatus curse," Bella said.

Andromeda nodded understandingly. She couldn't blame Bella for that one. If it were Nymphadora, she'd of done the same thing.

"She and Snape also tortured the Dursley's for mistreating Harry," Tonks continued.

"I can't say as I blame her for either of those things. I'd of done the same thing," she said. It was a little unnerving for her to actually agree with her death eater sister, but she did. If someone went after her child, she would destroy them. Not in the same loud and messy fashion that Bella did, but she would.

Tonks nodded before standing up. "Anyway, I just thought you should know. I should go."

Andromeda stood up and quickly embraced her daughter. "Alright, dear, be safe. And you be sure to let me know if you hear anything about Harry."

"I will, Mum. I'll see you later," Tonks said before leaving.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Harry tossed and turned in his bed. He was having an intense and horrible dream.

_Dream_

_Harry wasn't sure where he was. It was a dark, fairly large, room. He looked around and saw a bunch of people in black cloaks and masks. They were obviously death Eaters. He then saw Remus trying to fight a couple of them off._

_Harry watched as Remus dueled with several death eaters. He was hit a Cruciatus curse. Harry tried to scream, but no sound came out. He then watched in horror as green light struck Remus in the chest._

_End Dream_

"NO!" Harry screamed as he bolted up in bed. He looked around and realized that he was back at Lestrange Manor. It had all been a dream. That didn't necessarily comfort Harry though. His dreams weren't always just dreams. His dreams often became reality. He had to find away to warn Remus. If this dream was real, Remus was in real trouble. On the other hand though, what if it was a trick? It wasn't the first time Voldemort had used their mind link to trick him. The last time he'd done it, it had gotten Sirius killed. Then again, if there was the slightest chance that Remus could be in trouble, he had to do something.

Harry got up out of bed and turned the light one. He looked at his watch. It was 5am. He had to find a way to get out of the manor without alerting anyone. He couldn't apparate, but he could floo, or even walk out the front door, and apparate after he was off the property. He wasn't sure where to go though. He wasn't sure where Remus would be. The Weasley's would know, but there was no way he could go to the Burrow. Everyone there thought he was a dark wizard. He could go see the twins though. They were still on his side, and he knew they had a flat in London. He could go to Diagon Alley and then find the twin's place from there. He knew Bella and Severus would kill him when they found out, but he had to do it. He couldn't let anything happen to Remus.

He went over to his closet and grabbed a pair of shoes. He quickly put them on and then walked out of his room. He crept through the hall and down the stairs. He knew if he woke anyone up, it was all over. He made his way to the front door and walked outside. He thought about using the floo, but he doubted Bella would've left that open. She would've known that was a possible way for him to leave. The best way was to just use the front door. It was a bit riskier because it would take longer for him to out of there, but right now it was the only option available to him. He walked down the steps to the house. He then tried to apparate, but it still didn't work. The spell Bella put up must have been for the entire property. He looked around and saw a stone path. It looked like it would probably lead to the entrance of the property, so he started walking towards it.

About twenty minutes later, Harry finally made it to the main gate. He stepped outside it, and with a pop, he apparated away.


	19. Chapter 19

Bella walked down to the kitchen with Rodophus, and found everyone else except for Harry sitting at the table. "Where's Harry?"

Severus shrugged. "He must not be up yet."

"No, he's not in his room. We walked by on our way down. His door is wide open, and he's not inside," Bella said.

Severus immediately stood up. He did not like the sound of that at all. "Well, where the hell is he?"

"Alright, calm down," Rabastan said. He could see everyone already starting to freak out. "He's probably just roaming around the manor. Lets not freak out until we've searched."

"Rabastan's right. I'm sure he's here somewhere. Lets split up. We'll search this place from top to bottom. I'm sure we'll find that he just went off exploring?" Rodophus said.

Bella nodded. Her husband was right. It wouldn't do any good to worry unnecessarily. "Alright. Severus, you and Draco look upstairs. Rabastan, you check outside. Rodophus and I will check this floor."

Everyone nodded and went off to search.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

About a half hour later, everyone returned to the kitchen. They all looked worried. "Alright, does anyone mind if I panic now?" Bella asked.

"Where the hell could he have gone?" Rodophus asked.

"How'd he even get out? All the exits are blocked," Bella said.

"Well…" Rabastan said.

Bella narrowed her eyes. 'What?"

"I checked the front gate. It was open," Rabastan answered.

"What are you talking about? You were supposed to block that," Rodophus said.

"No, I wasn't, you were," Rabastan argued.

"Are you telling me he walked out of the front gate?" Bella asked.

Rabastan nodded.

"That means he's out there somewhere where the dark lord can get to him," Bella said alarmed.

"We have to find him," Severus said. "Now there's really only a handful of places he could've gone. If we split up, we should be able to find him pretty quickly."

"Where do we start?" Bella asked.

"Ill check with Lupin. Rodophus and Rabastan, you both with go talk to Hermione Granger. Bella, you try to find the Weasley tins. They have a place in muggle London. Ask around, they shouldn't be hard to find.

"Fine," Bella said before leaving. She was going to make sure her son was okay, and then she was going to kill him herself.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Harry knocked on the door of the Weasley twins' flat. It had taken him awhile, but he'd finally found out where they were living.

The door was opened a second later by both Fred and George. "Well, well well…

"If it isn't our…"

"Secret…"

"Investor."

"Hey, guys, I need to talk to you," Harry said.

Both boys stepped aside and motioned for him to come in. "You alright there, Harry?" George asked as Harry stepped inside.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry if you guys were worried," Harry said.

"You've been all anyone talks about lately," Fred said.

Harry snorted. "What else's new?" He was always the talk of the wizarding world. "Does the public know about my parents?"

"Not yet," the twins said in unison.

"The family does though," Fred said.

"And they aren't happy," George added.

"Yeah, I know. I got letters from both Remus and Hermione. They told me how the others reacted," Harry said. "Speaking of Remus, he's the reason I'm here. I need to find Remus. I had a dream of him being killed."

"You think it was a vision?" George asked.

"I'm not sure. It might just be a dream, or it might even be a trick, but I can't take the risk. I can't let anything happen to Remus," Harry said seriously. He couldn't let anyone else die for him, especially not Remus. He loved the man. He might not really be his father's friend like he thought, but the man still mattered to him.

"I'll try to fire call him," George said before going over to the fireplace.

"So where have you been?" Fred asked as they went over to the couch and sat down.

"Lestrange Manor," Harry replied.

Fred raised an eyebrow. "Really? That couldn't have been much fun."

Harry shrugged. "It wasn't that bad actually."

"No? Tell me. What's Bellatrix Lestrange like for a mother?" Fred asked curiously.

Harry got a thoughtful look on his face. "Picture your mother only scarier and more lethal."

Fred cringed. The thought of someone being scarier than his mother when it came to their kids was not something he wanted to think about. "Now that's a scary thought. Does she know you're here?"

Harry shook his head.

Fred's eyes widened. "If she truly is like my mother, I wouldn't want to you when you get back there."

Harry grimaced. He'd been trying not to think about that. He knew when Bella and Severus finally caught up with him, he was done for.

"Harry, Tonks is here for you," George said.

Harry got up and went over to the fire place. "Tonks."

"Harry what are you doing over there? It's not safe for you to be roaming around like this," Tonks said.

"I had a vision about Remus. I saw him get killed," Harry said.

"Remus is fine. He's in the shower as we speak. You Know Who was obviously trying to trick you. It looks like it worked. You need to take your ass home, now!" Tonks said angrily.

Harry shrank back a little. That was the first time Tonks had ever yelled at him. "Tonks, I-"

"Do you have any idea of the danger you just put yourself in? You Know Who would like nothing more than to kill you. He probably sent you that vision just to draw you out. For all you know, you're going to be invaded by death eaters at any moment. You should've stayed where you were," Tonks lectured. She thought Harry was smarter than this. She thought that he'd learned after what happened to Sirius.

"I…I didn't know what to do. I was afraid Remus was in trouble," Harry tried to explain. Now that he really thought about it, he probably could've tried to get Bella or Severus to check to see if Remus was okay.

Tonks sighed. "You need to go home. You are not safe where you are."

Harry nodded. "I'm sorry."

"Just go home," Tonks said before breaking the connection.

"Sorry about that, Mate," George said sympathetically.

"It's alright. She was right. I should've thought things through more," Harry said.

"So what are you going to do? Are you going to go back?" Fred asked.

"I don't really have a choice. Bella will find me and drag me back is she has too. If go back on my own, maybe it'll be easier on me," Harry said. He doubted it though. If Tonks was that pissed at him, he knew Bella would be furious.

"Maybe no one will notice that you were gone," Fred said optimistically.

"Maybe. I doubt it though," Harry said. He was sure they already knew he was gone. "Anyway, I better go. I'll see you guys later," Harry said before heading out the door. He was going to go back to Diagon Alley and apparate from there. He didn't think it would be a good idea to do it where he was, given that there were muggles nearby. Also, a part of him was trying to delay the inevitable. He knew he was likely to be killed the second he stepped back into the manor.

"Hey, Potter!"

Harry turned to his right, and saw Avery and Dolohov with their wands trained on him. He then turned to his left, and saw Rockwood and a death eater he didn't recognize. He was surrounded.


	20. Chapter 20

Harry looked to both sides of him. He was totally screwed. He was surrounded by death eaters. He was really started to regret leaving Lestrange Manor. Tonks had been right. It had all been a trap. Harry quickly pointed his wand at Dolohov and Rockwood, and yelled, "_Stupefy_!"

He then dodged as spell went towards him. He retaliated with another Stupefy, and finally made contact with Rockwood, knocking the man out. He was then hit by the spell himself. It wasn't enough to knock him out, but it did stun him a little.

Harry felt himself being pulled into a side alley by the collar of his shirt. He was turned around, and saw that it was Bella, who looked pissed.

"You will stay put until I come for you. You will not move from this spot. Is that clear?" Bella asked.

Harry nodded his head.

Bella immediately left her son's side and went out to where the death eaters were still waiting. "_Expelliarmus!" _she chanted as she pointed her wand at Dolohov, disarming him immediately. She did the same to the other three. No one was getting away this time. Every last one of them was going to die. "So apparently one dead body isn't enough of a hint for your master and the rest of his band of idiots. Lets see if he gets the message with three more. "_Petrificus Totalus!" _The only one left standing was Dolohov. "You first. I already owe you a slow painful death. "_Crucio!_"

Dolohov fell to the ground in agony. There was no pain worse than the Cruciatus curse.

"_Crucio!" _she chanted again. She smirked as Dolohov yelled out in pain. It served him right for touching her child. She continued to torture him for a few minutes before throwing the Entrail-expelling curse at him, killing him in the most gruesome way possible.

After killing on to Rockwood. She realized him from the body bind and immediately threw the torture curse at him. She released it after a few minutes and then threw it at him again and again. "_Reducto!" _she chanted, and waited as the spell tore him apart before moving on. The other two she ended quickly. She tortured them for a few minute's, but ended them both quickly with the killing curse.

Bella then went to Harry. "Are you alright?" she was going to make sure he was okay before she killed him.

Harry nodded.

"Good," Bella said before grabbing her son by the back of his shirt and apparating out.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

After getting back to the manor, Bella dragged Harry up the stairs and into his bedroom. "Sit!"

Harry immediately went over to his bed and sat down. He knew he was in big trouble. Bella looked angrier than he'd ever seen her, which was truly saying something.

"What in the bloody hell did you think you were doing?" Bella screamed.

Harry visibly flinched at her tone of voice. "I...I'm sorry. I was trying to help Remus."

"With what?" Bella asked.

"I had a vision last night. I thought it was a vision anyway. In it, Remus was killed by death eaters," Harry explained.

"Let me get this straight. You had a possible vision of someone getting killed, and instead of coming to me or your father for help, you decided to put yourself in danger to try to warn him," Bella said. If it was even possible, she was even more angry after hearing Harry's explanation. He'd needlessly put himself in danger when there were other options available to him.

"I didn't think that-"

"Oh, that is abundantly clear. You didn't do much thinking at all, did you? You just let your Gryffindorish impulses take over, and you put yourself in danger. What's more is that this is not the first time you have fallen for this particular trap, is it?" Bella asked. That was the thing frustrated her the most. If it had been the first time, it would be different, but Harry made the exact same mistake a couple of years prior. There was no excuse for that kind of recklessness.

"Sorry," Harry said looking down. It was all he really could say. It wasn't like he could take it back or anything.

"Oh, not yet, but you will be," she promised.

Harry looked up at Bella. He wondered what she meant by that. Whatever it was, he knew it couldn't be good.

Bella sat down in the chair closest to Harry's bed. "Tell me something, Harry. Other than the crap the muggles did, have you ever been punished."

Harry nodded. "At school."

Bella scowled. "That's not a punishment. What you are about to receive though is," she said before leaning forward in her chair so that she was looking him dead in the eye. "I want you to understand why though. It's not because you disobeyed me. It's because you knowingly and willfully put your life at risk. What do you think would've happened to you if I hadn't gotten there when I did?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders. He honestly didn't know what would've happened.

"I'll tell you what would've happened. You would've been taken to the dark lord, and he would've killed you. He would've _killed_ you," Bella stressed. "I can't allow that to happen. I will not allow you to do something like this again. I am your mother and it is my job to make sure you learn from your mistakes. Now to do that, I need to make sure you remember this day for a very long time."

"So what's my punishment," he asked. He didn't really understand why he was being punished. He was an adult. He should be allowed to do as he pleased.

"Well, being as I can't trust you not try to take off in the middle of the night if you're left alone, you will be rooming with Draco until further notice," Bella informed him.

Harry looked at her horrified. "You can't be serious. We'll kill each other."

"No you won't because you both know you're not allowed to fight, don't you?" she asked.

"And what if he attacks me or something?" Harry asked.

"Then you come to me, and I will handle it," Bella assured him. "Actually, I think this will be good for both of you. You too of you need to stop acting like little school children, and start acting like family."

Harry sat back in his chair and folded his arms unhappily. "What else?"

"You've lost every bit of freedom you had in this house. All of your time will be spent with one of us," Bella said.

"Doing what?" Harry asked.

"Not sure yet. We'll find something for you to do. Your father might be willing to allow you to help with him potions," she said.

Harry resisted the urge to snort. Like he'd ever want to do that. He hated potions, mostly because he was rubbish at it. "How long does this last?"

"I haven't decided yet. Long enough for you to understand just what you did today," Bella said.

"Fine," Harry said irritably.

"You think I'm treating you unfairly?" Bella asked.

"I'm not some little kid. I'm seventeen. I'm an adult," he said.

Bella raised an eyebrow. "You want me to treat you like an adult?"

Harry nodded.

"Then start acting like one," Bella said before getting up and leaving the room without waiting for a response.


	21. Chapter 21

"How did we end up with the job of speaking to muggles," Rabastan asked as they approached the Granger home. The last thing he wanted was to spend his morning talking to muggles.

"I don't like it any more than you do, but if it'll help us find Harry, so be it," Rodophus said before ringing the doorbell.

The door was opened by a woman with long blond hair. "Can I help you gentlemen?"

"I hope so, madam. You see, I'm looking for my stepson. He's friends with your daughter, and he's recently run off. I believe your daughter might know where he is. Would it be alright if I spoke to her?" Rodophus asked.

"Oh, of course. Please, come in," the woman said before stepping aside. "I'm Jane Granger by the way. "

"Rodophus. This is my brother Rabastan," he said.

"It's nice to meet you both. I'll get Hermione," Jane said before turning towards the stairs. "Hermione, come down here please."

"A second later, Hermione came down the stairs. When she saw who her mother was with, her eyes widened in horror. The Lestrange brothers were standing in her kitchen, and they seemed quite friendly with her mother. Hell had officially frozen over.

"Hermione, these men are looking for a friend of yours," Jane said.

"Harry," Hermione whispered.

"Harry? That's one of your best friends, correct? Does this have anything to do with why you left the Weasley's?" Jane asked her daughter.

Hermione bit her lip. She'd come home right after she'd heard the reactions of the Weasley' s in regards to Harry. She couldn't stomach being anywhere near them, so she came home, and hadn't told her parents what happened.

"Hermione, do you know where Harry is? If you do, you need to tell these gentlemen," Jane said sternly.

"Mrs. Granger, may we speak with your daughter alone?" Rodophus asked. It was obvious that the muggle was oblivious to what and who they were, and there was only so far they were going to get with her in the room.

"Alright," Jane said before turning to her daughter," she said before walking out of the room.

After her mother left, Hermione instinctively brought her hand to her back pocket, where her wand laid.

This move did not go unnoticed by Rodophus. "Cautious. You should be, we're living in dark times, and given my history, you'd be a fool to trust me. But the truth is, if I was going to do something, I'd of done it already."

"No you wouldn't," Hermione said confidently. "You want to know where Harry is."

"You don't know where Harry is," Rodophus said. He'd come to that conclusion when he saw the shock on the girl's face from seeing them. She wouldn't have been so surprised to see them if she knew where Harry was. It was still important for him to talk to her though. He needed to make her understand the danger of Harry being out there alone, so that if he did come to her, she'd at the very least get him to come home.

"She doesn't? Then why are we still here?" Rabastan asked. He wanted to spend as little time with the muggles as possible.

Rodophus ignored his brother and focused on the Granger girl. "If you knew where Harry was, you wouldn't have been so surprised to see us. But there is the possibility that he will come to you. If he does, you need to convince him to come home."

"Why would I do that? Why would I try to get Harry to return to death eaters?" Hermione asked.

"Because as much as you don't trust me, which granted you shouldn't, you care about Harry, and you know that he's a walking target out there," he explained.

"And he's supposed to be safe with you?" Hermione asked skeptically. She didn't trust the Lestranges one bit. Yes, Harry's letter said he was safe with them, but for all she knew, he'd been forced to write that.

"Yes," Rodophus said matter-of-factly. "Harry is my stepson. I love him. I would never hurt him, nor would I allow anyone else to hurt him."

"Well, obviously he disagrees. Why else would he run away?" she asked.

"I'm not sure. Probably because he's a seventeen-year-old boy whose would has been completely rocked. I won't know for sure until he tells me," Rodophus said. "Look, if I really wanted to hurt Harry, don't you think I'd have done it already.

Hermione had to admit that he had a point. Harry had been in his home for several days, and no one had hurt him. Hell, the Lestranges had the opportunity to hurt her and had yet to do so. How do I know this isn't a trick?"

Rodophus shrugged his shoulders. "I guess you don't. But I know you care about Harry. I know you don't want to see him killed, and if he remains out in the open, he will be. I trust you'll make the right choice if you do see him," he said before walking towards the door and motioning for his brother to do the same.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Severus knocked on the door to Lupin's cottage. It was the last place he wanted to be, but Lupin might have Harry there, so he had to do it.

The door was opened a second later by Remus. "What do you want?"

"Where's my son?" Severus asked as he brushed past him and into the house.

"What are you talking about? What happened to Harry?" Remus asked concerned.

"He took off sometime in the night," Severus said.

"Well, he's not here," Remus said. He wondered where Harry was though. He needed to find him before Severus did. That way he could keep the boy away from the Lestrange's.

"And I'm supposed to believe you? You who tried to send my son a portkey," Severus said angrily.

"I was trying to protect him from his death eater parents," Remus said.

"Protect him? By removing him from the one place he's the most safe? And what about what that would've done to him emotionally. Do you remember the last time he was taken away by portkey without his knowledge?" Severus asked.

Remus looked away. He hadn't thought of that. The last time Harry had been taken away by Portkey he'd nearly died, and he did watch a friend di. He should've known that if he'd succeeded in his plan, Harry wouldn't have taken it well, but he'd just been trying to save him. "I'm not going to apologize for trying to save him."

"Save him from what? His own family?" Severus asked. It enraged him to hear Lupin accuse him of being a danger to his own son.

"That's right. I'm not going to let you people inflict your twisted views on him," Remus said.

"And yet the so called light is better? The people who kidnapped my son in the first place? Who are you to decide where he should be anyway. You're not his family," Severus said. He was sick of people trying to decide what was best for his son. Where harry resided was none of Lupin's business."

"I love him!" Remus yelled.

"What's going on here?"

Both men turned to see Tonks in the doorway. "My son is missing, have you seen him?"

Tonks nodded. "Yeah, not too long ago. He called from the floo."

"When did that happen?" Remus asked. He had no knowledge about this.

"You were in the shower at the time. Apparently he had a vision of you being killed. That's why he left home," Tonks explained.

Severus found himself getting extremely angry. It seemed his son had once again thought with his stupid Gryffindor bravery instead of his head. "Where is he?"

"I sent him home. He was at the Weasley twins at the time though," Tonks said.

Severus nodded. If harry had gone home, Bella most likely found him and dragged him home by now. "Thank you, Miss Tonks," he said before heading towards the door.

After Severus left, Remus whipped his head around to Tonks. "Why didn't you tell Harry to come here?"

"Because he isn't safe here, Remus. We can't protect him the way they can. Besides, they're his family. He belongs with them," Tonks said.

"They're death eaters. He shouldn't be anywhere near them."

"You sound like Minerva right now. That was the excuse she and Dumbledore used when they stole Harry from his home," Tonks told him.

"That's not fair, Tonks. It's not the same. Dumbledore's motives were political. He took Harry because he wanted to make him into a martyr. I'm trying to protect someone I love from his so called family," Remus explained.

"I think you're trying to protect yourself," Tonks said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Remus asked outraged.

"You love Harry. You consider yourself to be a prominent influence in his life. I think you're afraid that that's going to change now that Harry is no longer an orphan," she said.

"You can't be serious," Remus said. "I am not jealous of Severus and the Lestrange's."

"I think you are. You shouldn't be, but you are," Tonks said. "Remus, Harry loves you. That's not going to change. Another thing that's not going to change is the fact that Harry's parents are not going to disappear. They're going to be in his life forever. You need to accept that because if you can't, you're going to lose him," she said before walking away.


	22. Chapter 22

"Why do I feel like I'm the one being punished?" Draco asked as his aunt helped Potter move into his room. The last thing he wanted was to have to room with Potter.

"Don't be so dramatic, Draco. It's not going to kill either of you to spend time together. In fact, I think it'll do the two of you some good. It's about time the two of you learned to get along like family.

Draco huffed and collapsed on his bed.

"This isn't exactly a picnic for me either, Malfoy," Harry said glaring.

"Shove off, Potter."

"Alright, that's enough. The two of you are going to knock it off with the Potter Malfoy crap. Draco, this Harry. Harry, Draco. That is how you are going to address each other from now on. Clear?"

"Yes," Harry said. He didn't dare argue right now. He was in enough trouble right now.

"Draco?"

"Whatever," Draco mumbled.

"What was that?" Bella asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I said yes," Draco said quickly.

"That's what I thought," Bella said.

Just then an angry Severus came strolling into the room and fixed Harry with a glare. "What the bloody hell were you thinking?"

Harry backed away a little. He'd never seen Snape so mad before, which was truly saying something because he'd certainly seen his father mad before. "I…I'm sorry. I was just trying to help Remus."

"By going on a suicide mission? Did it really not occur to you that it was a trap? That the dark lord was using Lupin to try to get to you. Are you really that thick headed? It's not like it's the first time he's used that particular trick with you," Severus ranted.

"I know, okay? It was stupid. I just wasn't thinking," Harry said.

"Clearly," he commented.

"I'm sorry. I just didn't want to take the risk that Remus was in real trouble. I couldn't bear for someone else I care about to get hurt," Harry said emotionally.

"Why didn't you come to one of us? Don't you think it would've been a better option than putting yourself at risk?" Severus asked.

"I…I don't know. Maybe because I've never been able to do that before. It's always been on me. Even in school. No one ever lifted a finger to try to help me when something was wrong. I guess I just fell back into old habits," Harry explained. It was true. No adult had ever helped him before. Every time he'd even try to ask one for help, he'd be turned away. It became second nature for him to handle things on his own.

Severus sighed. He really couldn't deny that his son was right about that. After all, he hadn't really had an adult role model. The Dursley's had been a joke and for that matter, so had Black. No one had ever sat the child down and taught him about decision making. No one had ever showed him that he could count on them. That stopped today. His son was going to know he could come to them when he was in trouble.

"Yes, well, that stops now," Bella said. "When something like this happens, you come to us. You may be an adult, but it is obvious that you know very little about this kind of thing."

"Okay," Harry said.

Bella turned to Severus. "I've already yelled at him and punished him. There's not much point in continuing to yell at him.

"It was a trap. I take it you got to him before the dark lord could get to him," Severus said.

"Well, not exactly. He was being attacked by four death eaters when I got there," Bella said.

Severus' eyes widened and he turned to his son. "You were attacked? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. A stunner dazed me a little for a second, but I'm fine," Harry told him.

"And the dark lord got yet another reminder of why he shouldn't mess with what is mine," Bella said.

Severus fixed his gaze on Harry. "You listen up. This never happens again. Do you understand me?"

"Yes sir."

"You may have the rest of day to sulk if you wish, but starting tomorrow, you'll be with one of us at all times," Bella said. She then walked out the door. Severus followed her out.

Harry sighed and sat down on the other bed. He still couldn't believe how stupid he'd been. What had he been thinking believing that dream? Whether he liked them or not, Severus and Bella had been right. He should've known he was being lured into a trap. Especially since the same had happened with Sirius.

Harry looked over to where Malfoy was sitting and saw that the other boy was looking at him with a smirk on his face. "What?"

Draco shrugged his shoulders. "Just enjoying seeing you put in your place. It's about time everyone stopped worshipping the ground you walk on."

Harry sat up angrily. "What the bloody hell are you talking about? You don't know the first thing about me!"

"I know enough. I know that for years, you've gotten away with everything," Draco said.

"I think you're confusing me with yourself. How many times have you and your friends come after me and gotten away with it? You've sabotaged my potions, ridiculed me, cursed me. And you got away with it every single time," Harry said.

"I got away with nothing. He may not have done it in front of anybody, but Uncle Sev punished me. And if he didn't, my mother did," Draco said.

"Really?" Harry asked surprised. He always thought Malfoy was treated like a prince born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

"Hello? My mother is Aunt Bella's sister. She can be just as scary when she wants to be," Draco said. "Not everything is as it seems, you know?"

"Maybe you should take your own advice," Harry said. He now knew that he might have made some misjudgments about his cousin, but Malfoy was guilty of the same.

"What does that mean?" Draco asked.

"I may have bought into misconceptions, but so have you. Contrary to popular beliefs, I'm not some spoiled brat that was worshipped at home. My relatives couldn't stand the sight of me. They spent every chance they got telling me what a freak I was," Harry told him.

"Oh," Draco said awkwardly. He didn't know what to say to that. He always thought that Potter was spoiled. He was the boy who lived after all. Most people expected that. He actually felt a bit sorry for his cousin. Sure, Potter had read him wrong to, but at least he had one parent who cared about him growing up. Potter hadn't even had that. "I guess we were both wrong about each other. Look, maybe we would call a truce. I mean, we do have to live with each other and we are family. The least we can do is try to stop hating each other."

"I'll try if you will," Harry said before sticking out his hand.

Draco looked at it for a moment before taking it.


	23. Chapter 23

Harry and Draco were both laying on their beds reading when Rodophus came in. "Hey, Harry, you have mail."

Harry put the book down and took the letters. "Thanks."

"No problem. I'm pretty sure that one of them is from your mudb... muggleborn friend," Rodophus said.

"How do you know that?" Harry asked.

"Well, I asked her to try to get you to come home earlier, so she probably sent a letter out as soon as we left.

Harry's eyes widened in shock and horror. "You went to see Hermione?"

"Hey, we had no idea where you were. We did what we had to do to try to find you. She was fine when we left. A little stunned, but otherwise fine," Rodophus said before leaving.

Harry opened the first letter, and sure enough, it was from Hermione.

_Dear Harry,_

_WHERE ARE YOU? I just had both Lestrange brothers at my house, and let me tell you, it was by far the most horrifying moment of my life when I saw them in my kitchen talking to my mother. There were actually talking CIVILLY! There were talking to her like a worried father and uncle. It was very strange._

_Anyway, once my mother was out of the room, they told me that you were missing. My first thought was 'Great, Harry got away from the death eaters', but then they pointed out that You Know Who and all of his followers are out there looking for you. Also, they seemed to really care about you. They seemed genuinely worried about your safety. I can't believe I am saying this, but I think you ought to go back to your family. I don't think they will hurt you. If they were going to do that or turn you over to You Know Who, they'd have done it already. Please go home. I want you to be safe. Write me as soon as you get this._

_Love, Hermione_

Harry smiled. He was glad to see that Hermione was still his friend. She said it in her last letter, but it was still good to hear it again.

He took out a quill and parchment and started writing a reply.

_Dear Hermione,_

_I'm home now. My mother found me near the twins' place and dragged me back. Oh, don't take that the wrong way or anything. She didn't hurt me or anything. She yelled at me and punished me for leaving the only place that's safe, but that was it. _

_Sorry for my extended family bothering you. And you were right, they do care about me. I've accepted that fact if nothing else. And don't worry, I'm not going to try leaving again anytime soon (not that I'll get the chance). The only reason I left in the first place was because I had a vision of Remus getting killed. It was a trap to draw me out. And before you start lecturing, I know it was stupid. It's been said to me many times over the last couple hours. Don't worry, I won't be making the same mistake a third time_

_By the way, thanks for sticking by me. I hope it hasn't cost you any of your other friends. _

_Love, Harry_

Harry put the letter aside, picked up the other letter that was sent to him.

_Dear Harry,_

_I know we've never written to each other before, and if you don't want me to, just say so and I'll stop, but I wanted to see if you were okay. My gran told me that you've dropped off the grid. Says no one's heard from you in weeks. My gran reckons that you've left on your own and gone into hiding. I'm not so sure. You don't run from a fight. My guess is either you're hurt or you're looking for a way to beat You Know Who. I'm hoping it's the second. Please at least right back and let me know you're okay._

_Neville_

Harry dropped the letter and let it fall to the floor. He suddenly felt sick. Everything had been happening so fast that he didn't even think about what he was going to do when he finally came into contact with Neville again. What was he supposed to do? How was he supposed to tell Neville that he was the son of the woman that tortured his parents?

Draco looked over at his cousin. He noticed the sudden change in the other boy's appearance. His face went pale and he got this stricken look on his face. "You okay, Pot… Harry? What's wrong?"

"N…Neville wrote me," Harry said as if it explained everything. And it did.

"Oh," Draco said uncomfortably. He wasn't sure what to say to that. He couldn't even imagine what that was like. How did you tell a friend that the reason he didn't have a family was because of yours?

"Yeah, 'oh'," Harry said. "What am I supposed to do now? If I tell him who I really am, he's not going to want anything to do with me." He wouldn't blame him either. Unlike Ron, Neville would have good reason to hate him.

"It's not your fault," Draco said awkwardly. He wasn't used to the whole making people feel better thing.

"Yeah, it kind of is. It happened because of me. Because they thought that Neville was me," Harry said.

"Well, that's old manipulative bastard's fault, not yours. He's the one who put all this in motion," Draco said.

"Maybe, but all Neville's going to see is that he lost his family because of something that happened to me. He's not going to care about anything else. I know I wouldn't," Harry said. If it were him, all he would care about is that his friend's family was reason he didn't have one.

Draco looked at the letter on the floor. "Are you going to write him back?"

"And saw what? 'Gee, I'm really sorry my parents tortured yours into insanity.' I'm sure that would go over great," Harry said sarcastically.

"Well, he's going to find out eventually. Don't you think he ought to hear it from you?" Draco asked.

Harry knew what Draco was saying was true. Eventually someone was going to tell Neville. Hell, he wouldn't put it past Ron to tell him out of spite. "But in a letter? That just doesn't seem right. He should be able to look in my face when he hears the truth."

"When who hears what?"

Both boys looked up and saw Severus in the doorway. "Hey, Uncle Sev."

"What's going on?" Severus asked.

"Harry got a letter from Longbottom," Draco said.

Severus cringed. He could only guess what the Longbottom boy could have to say to the son of Bellatrix Lestrange. "Did he write you to end your friendship?"

"No, worse. He wanted to know if I was okay," Harry said. That stung worse than anything because he knew that when Neville found out the truth, he wouldn't give a damn how he was. "He doesn't know."

"Well, he'll find out soon enough I'm sure," Severus said. He knew it wouldn't be long until the truth was revealed.

"He should hear it from me," Harry said. He wanted to be the one to tell Neville. He owed him at least that much.

"It isn't your responsibility. It's not your fault," Severus said.

"Maybe not, but I need to be the one to tell him. I owe him that much," Harry said. He just wished he could tell Neville in person. That way he could give Neville the chance to take a shot at him if he so desired. Neville deserved that much.

Severus sighed. He had a feeling he was going to regret the decision he was about to make, but he felt it necessary. "Do you know what you'll say?"

"No, but I'll have to figure it out, won't I," he asked.

"Come on," Severus said. He was going to take his son to see Longbottom in person. Harry was right, it wasn't something that should be said in a letter.

"Go where?"

"I'm taking you to Longbottom Manor," Severus replied.

Harry's eyes widened. "N…now?" He wasn't sure he was ready for that. He didn't even think it was going to be an option.

"Do you think it'll be better if you wait?" Severus asked. He doubted it would. It would be better to just get it over with.

Harry sighed. He knew his father was right about that. It wasn't going to get any easier, and he needed to do it before someone else did. "No. Let's go."


	24. Chapter 24

Harry approached the entrance of Longbottom Manor with Severus. He took a deep breath before knocking on the door.

The door was opened a few seconds later by Neville. "Harry, hi. I didn't expect you come by. I thought maybe you'd wri…" He trailed off when Professor Snape came into view. His eyes widened in fear when he saw the man. He was terrified of the man before he found out that he was death eater. Now he was petrified. And here he was standing at his doorstep.

Harry noticed his friend's discomfort. "It's alright; he's not going to hurt you. He's here for me. Look, I really need to talk to you, Neville."

"C…come on in," Neville said before reluctantly stepping aside. He had no problem letting Harry in, but Professor Snape's mere presence left him feeling uneasy. "S…so what do you want to talk about?"

Harry turned to Severus. "Can I talk to him alone?" He knew that Neville wasn't going to relax until Severus was far away from him.

"Do I have your word that you won't leave this house?" Severus asked.

"Yes sir."

Severus nodded curtly.

Harry turned back to Neville. "Is there somewhere that we can sit down and talk?"

Neville nodded. "The sitting room. Come on."

Harry followed his friend down the hall and into the sitting room. They both sat down on the couch.

"So what's going on? Why's Snape with you?" Neville asked. Harry seemed way too civil with Snape. He wasn't even that civil with him when they were in school.

Harry took a deep breath to try to calm his nerves. "Neville, there are some things I have to tell you. Things you're not going to want to here. But I need to say them and I need to do it without interruptions. Once I'm finished, I'll listen to whatever it is you have to say to me, okay?"

Neville nodded. He wasn't sure what this was about, but it sounded really serious.

Harry sighed. Here went nothing. "Okay, the first thing I want to say is that I'm sorry. If I'd known what I know now when I'd met you, I wouldn't have bothered you. Because the last thing you needed was me in your face every day."

Neville was confused. He wasn't sure why Harry was apologizing for being friends with him. Harry's friendship meant everything to him. It was why he wasn't as nervous and awkward as he was before. Harry had helped him build confidence. He'd be lost without the other boy's friendship.

Harry took a couple more deep breaths before continuing. "This summer I found a few things out. Things I never would've imagined possible. And those things made realize that not everyone is as they seem. Some people who seem good aren't and some people who seem evil are really just misunderstood."

Neville was getting a bit nervous. He didn't like where this was going. Harry wasn't switching sides, was he? Neville didn't thing he was, but he was talking as if the dark side wasn't that bad.

Harry saw the look on his friend's face. "Don't worry; I'm not changing sides if that's what you're worried about. It's not like that. Trust me, I still hate Voldemort and he still hates me. I'm just saying that I'm starting not to see things as black and white anymore. Take Dumbledore for instance. He wasn't as good and pure as he liked people to think."

Neville raised an eyebrow. He wasn't expecting to hear that. Harry always seemed loyal to Dumbledore. What could Dumbledore have done to change that?

"Dumbledore destroyed our lives, Neville. Yours and mine. By messing with mine, he started a chain of events that would ruin yours. You see, most of the world right now things that I'm the son of Lily and James Potter. They're wrong," he said.

Neville's eyes widened in shock. He wanted to say something, but he'd told Harry he wouldn't interrupt.

"You and I supposedly fit a prophecy. Though, I don't know how I could be because I clearly don't fit that description. The prophecy stated that a child born at the end of July to those who thrice defied the dark lord. Basically it stated that one of us had to kill Voldemort or be killed by him. I don't know why Dumbledore thought it was me though. Maybe he figured because I was the only other child born at the end of July and he wanted to be sure. All I know is that none of this gave him the right to do what he did," Harry said angrily. When he thought about the hell he and Neville had to go through because of that man, it infuriated him. Who the hell was Dumbledore to play God with their lives?

Harry looked down at his feet. He couldn't bring himself to look at Neville as he said this. "The Potters were not my parents. Dumbledore handed me over to them after stealing me from my true parents. He decided that my parents weren't good enough to raise his 'savior.' You see, my parents weren't light like the Potters were. My father was a death eater. My mother didn't follow Voldemort at the time, but she did believe in a lot of the things he taught. My disappearance was a catalyst for a lot of things. My father turned to the light. I'm not sure why. Maybe he thought the dark side was responsible for my abduction. I don't know, I've never asked him. My mother went in the other direction though. She turned to the only person she thought was powerful enough to find me. The only problem was, he wasn't had no intentions of sticking to his end. He gave her false promises in exchange for her services. Still, she did it. She didn't want to take the risk that he would eventually help her, so she did whatever he wanted. She hurt a lot of people in the process, including you," he said before looking back up at his friend, who had a shocked expression on his face.

"Neville, the reason you don't have a family is because of mine. My mother."

"Bellatrix Lestrange," Neville said in absolute shock. He couldn't believe it. One of his best friends was the son of someone he hated. Someone who'd taken everything from him.

Harry nodded. "I didn't tell you all this to excuse her. There is no excuse. I just wanted you to know _why_ it happened. I thought you deserved that much. Alright, I'm done. I've said all I've come to say. Now it's your turn. Go ahead. Tell me to go to hell, punch me, whatever you need."

Neville didn't know what to say or do. He was still trying to wrap his head around everything. It was so surreal. It was like a nightmare that he was going to wake up from. There was no way this could truly be happening. No way could his friend by that woman's son. He was too good, too noble. He was a gryffindor for Merlin's sake. How could someone so good and pure be related to someone so evil? Then again, was she evil? After all, the way Harry told it, she just wanted her kid back. Was that really evil? He didn't know. There was so many thoughts going through his mind at once. Who was really the more wronged party here? Yes, he'd lost his parents, but so had Harry. And as much as he didn't want to think about it, the Lestranges had lost too.

"Neville, please say something," Harry begged. He couldn't take the silence. Even if Neville had to lash out at him, he wished he'd just do it already.

Neville pulled himself out of his thoughts. "I…I'm sorry, but I can't do this right now. I really don't know what to say or do right now. I need to think."

Harry nodded and stood up. "I understand. I'm really sorry."

Neville nodded and watched as his friend, the son of the people who left him parentless, disappeared from view.


	25. Chapter 25

The next morning, Harry was sitting at the table with the rest of his family for breakfast. He was looking particularly unhappy. He didn't like how things were left with Neville last night. He would've preferred Neville tell him he hated him than the nothing at all he heard last night. He knew that Neville was probably overwhelmed and needed time to think, but he was really anxious about his friend's next reaction.

Rodophus was staring at a copy of the Daily Prophet. "Four dead death eaters. I assume that was you're doing, Love," he said to Bella.

"Yep. That ought to be a big enough message for that halfblooded idiot," Bella said. "Though, given who we're talking about, maybe not."

"Won't he come after you now," Harry asked. He was a bit surprised by the small amount of concern that was in his own voice. It felt very weird to feel any kind of concern in regards to Bella. He didn't like her and he certainly didn't the way that a son should about his mother, but he was beginning to realize that he didn't want her dead like he had before either.

"If only, Harry. If only. But no, not even he is that stupid," Bella said.

"Even the dark lord is smart enough to be afraid of Bella, especially now that he no longer has you as a bargaining chip," Severus told his son.

"So are we just going to hide forever?" Harry asked. He didn't like that. He did understand why they wanted to keep him here for now. It was dangerous out there, but he didn't want to hide for the rest of his life.

"No, Harry. Voldemort is done for. Oh knock it off, all of you. It's just a bloody name," Bella said as everyone else besides herself and Harry flinched at the dark lord's name. "As I was saying, he's done. He just hasn't realized it yet

."You mean because you started killing his death eaters?"

"To put it bluntly, yes. They were a message. Anyone who touches you will suffer the consequences. Now any of them with half a brain will flee. The ones that aren't so smart, well…" She trailed off and left it to his imagination. "The point is that this will be over soon. Voldemort is nothing without his death eaters."

Harry couldn't decide if Bella's words horrified him or comforted him. On one hand, killing and torturing seemed wrong no matter who it was or what the reason was. But no one had ever been willing to kill for him before. He found it oddly comforting.

Soon everyone finished breakfast and started to leave. "Harry, pick someone to spend the day with," Bella told her son.

Harry looked around. "Severus." He really didn't want to spend it with any of them, but Severus was the one he disliked the least, and that said a lot.

Severus nodded and led the way to his lab.

After they were gone, Rodophus turned to his wife. "Well, he doesn't seem to completely hate us anymore."

Bella snorted. "Give him time. He spoke to the Longbottom boy last night. Now if he ends up turning against him, you can be sure that any progress we may have made will be lost. And with good reason," she said before walking towards the stairs.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Hermione was walking through Diagon Alley with her new school books when she ran into Neville. "Neville, hey. Are you here getting your supplies?"

Neville nodded. "Yeah. I see you're doing the same. Are you looking forward to the new year?"

Hermione shook her head. "Not so much actually. Ron and I aren't speaking and I highly doubt Harry will be returning to Hogwarts this year."

Neville looked away at the mention of Harry. He was still pretty shaken by everything Harry had told him.

"You know, don't you?" Hermione asked. She could see that he knew. It was written all over his face.

Neville nodded.

"Come on," Hermione said as she led him into an empty corner so that they could discuss things at least semi privately. "So how'd you find out?"

"Harry. He came to the Manor with Snape last night," Neville replied.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked. She knew that was probably a stupid question, but she wasn't sure what else to say.

"No, not really. I don't know what to do. How do you deal with the fact that one of your closest friends is the son of people who have destroyed your life?" Neville asked.

Hermione was torn. As Harry's best friend, she wanted to tell Neville that Harry was hurting too and that what happened wasn't his fault, but Neville was her friend too and she wanted to be there for him as well. "I can't imagine what you're going through, or what Harry is. It isn't fair. Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall had no right to do what they did."

"Professor McGonagall? What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Harry didn't tell you that much? I suppose that makes sense. He probably wanted to spare you the same betrayal he feels."

"What Betrayal? What did Professor McGonagall do?" Neville asked.

"She was involved. She helped Dumbledore kidnap Harry and hide him from his family. They both started all this," Hermione said.

Neville was shocked. He couldn't believe that the woman he trusted the most at school could actually do something so heinous. "Okay, that's horrible. I can't even imagine what Harry must be feeling right now, what does it have to do with me. Harry mentioned it being about me too."

"Well, the way I understand it is that the Lestranges went off the deep end after Harry was taken from them. They wanted their son back. You and Harry were born the same day so…"

Neville's eyes nearly bugged out of his head when he realized what Hermione was trying to say. "Oh, merlin! They thought he was me? They went after my parents because they thought they were the ones who kidnapped their son."

Hermione nodded. "I'm surprised Harry didn't tell you all of that when you saw him."

"Well, I kind of lost myself for a second there. I was so overwhelmed. He probably didn't think I could take much more. He was probably right," Neville said. He wouldn't have been able to take this last night. It would've been the final straw and he would've lost it.

"I'm so sorry, Neville," Hermione said.

"Who gave these bloody people the right! Dumbledore and McGonagall had no bloody right to screw with us like this. They ruined our lives! And for what? Politics? Some bloody war? As if that justifies it," Neville fumed. He was unbelievably angry. He'd never felt such rage in his life as he did for two of the people in the world he thought he could trust the most. They had no right to do this to him, to Harry.

"You're right, Neville. It was awful. And no one suffered more than you and Harry."

"He took our lives, our families," he said angrily.

"I know, and I know you can't ever get that back. Harry may be able to get some semblance of it, but he'll never truly have it either. You've both suffered tremendously because of Dumbledore and McGonagall. Just don't let them take anything else from you. You and Harry are friends. Don't let them take that away from you," Hermione said. She wasn't just saying it for Harry's benefit either. She was saying it for Neville too. He didn't deserve to lose a good friend just because of something other people did.

"I know what you're saying Hermione. I also know that what happened to my parents wasn't Harry's fault. But I just don't know if it's possible for me to be his friend. I don't know if I can be friends with someone who's that closely related to people who have caused me pain. And I'm not sure it would be fair to either of us for me to try if I'm not sure I can. I'd just end up resenting him and possibly turning against him completely like Ron did and I don't want to be like that," Neville explained. He knew about Ron's new found hatred for Harry. He'd received a letter from him that morning telling him all about how Harry was bound to go dark. Despite his conflicting feelings, it horrified Neville that Ron could even say such utter garbage. Harry was still Harry no matter who his parents were.

Hermione sighed. "I suppose you're right. It wouldn't be right for you to keep being his friend if you think you can't."

"I'm not saying I can't be his friend. I'm just saying I don't know. I think I just need more time."

"You should take it. And whatever decision you make, rest assured, Harry will respect and understand it. You're not like Ron, Neville. For one, Ron has no reason to be angry, and for another, you're actually treating Harry with respect," Hermione said.

"Thanks. Anyway, I better go. I have some other things I need to get. I'll see you at school," Neville said before walking away.


	26. Chapter 26

Severus glanced over at Harry as he was preparing potions ingredients. He had to admit the boy had good precision. Better than he remembered seeing in class.

Harry looked up after getting the feeling that he was being watched. He saw Severus staring at him. "What?"

"You're pretty good at that," Severus said.

Harry was a bit shocked by the complement. Severus had never complemented him on his potions work before. In fact, usually, he was telling him how abysmal it was. "Yeah, well, I learned a bit more last year."

Severus felt the blow. Harry was saying that his horrid potions making was do to Severus. Severus supposed he wasn't exactly wrong. He treated his son terribly in school. If he hadn't, maybe things would've been different.

"You know, I really did want to learn from you. The day of our first lesson when you singled me out because you didn't think I was paying attention, I told you I was taking notes," Harry said.

"I remember," Severus said regretfully. He regretted every time he'd caused Harry emotional pain. That day was the beginning of it all.

"I was copying down every word you said. Every word. But you couldn't see that. You were too blinded by your hatred for James Potter. That's all you could see when you looked at me," Harry said with more than a little bit of anger and bitterness in his voice.

Severus sighed. "There is nothing I can say to you that will make the way I treated you alright. I took a schoolboy grudge out on a child."

"I understand why you hate James Potter. When I saw what he and Sirius did to you, I was appauled. By the way, I am sorry that I looked inside your pensieve. I had no right to do so," Harry said. He figured if they were talking about things were done wrong, he might as well admit to his own wrongdoing.

Severus nodded. "Apology accepted."

"Anyway, I went off on Sirius. I couldn't believe that he could do such a thing. He spouted something about being only fifteen, but I wouldn't let him get away with that. I was fifteen when I found out and I couldn't even think about doing something like that. It reminded me of how the Dursleys treated me. So I do know how you could hate them boy. But I still don't understand why you took it out on me. I never did anything to you."

"I know you didn't. And i know now that you're not really like him. I couldn't see that at the time though. All I could see was that you looked just like James potter, and that you were alive when my son wasn't," Severus said.

Harry raised an eyebrow in surprise. He hadn't been expected that. He didn't know that his 'death' was part of why his father went after him the way he did. "So you hated me because you missed me. Ironic."

"Yes, it is. I always knew that you were born around the same time as my son. The Longbottom boy too," Severus said.

"That's why you targeted me and Neville the most," Harry realized. Out of everyone, he and Neville were treated the worst by Severus.

"Yes. I don't even think I knew I was doing it most of the time. It just sort of happened," Seveus said. he knew it sounded lame, but it was the truth.

"Did you ever wonder if Neville or I..."

"Were my son? No. Because the Potter and the Longbottoms were expecting children at the same time Bella was. I figured it was just a coincidence. Besides, I didn't find out about your date of births until around the time you started Hogwarts. Any suspicion I might have had would've went out the windown the day I saw you."

"Hey, Neville and I do share the same birthday. Why did Bella go after Neville and not me?" Harry wondered.

"You'd have to ask her, but I'm guessing either she didn't know about your birth date. As I said, I didn't know it until around the time you came to Hogwarts," Severus told him. "Have you heard from Longbottom?"

Harry shook his head. "No, but it hasn't been that long. Only a couple of days. Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Severus said.

"Did you love her?" Harry asked.

"Who? Bella?" Severus asked.

Harry nodded.

"Not the way you're referring to. Mostly in the 'You irritate the hell out of me, but if anyone hurts you, I'll kill them' kind of way," Severus explained.

"Then why..."

"Did we have a child together?" Severus finished for him. "Because we wanted a child. You see Rodophus couldn't have children. He and Bella had tried for years. They couldn't. They knew I wanted to be a father so they came to me."

"That's got to be the strangest thing I've ever heard," Harry said.

"It's not actually all that strange. Muggles do it all the time. When one or both parents can't have children, they'll go to a sperm bank or get a surrogate. True, it usually doesn't happen quite like this, but it does happen," Severus said.

"So who was going to be my father? You or Rodophus?" Harry asked.

"Both of us. I was of course going to take on the role of Father or Dad, but Rodophus would been considered just as much your father as me. It was always supposed to be like that," Severus said.

"But then Dumbledore came and messed it all up," Harry said.

"Yes."

"What was my name supposed to be?" Harry asked.

"Cepheus. Cepheus Severus Lestrange-Snape," he answered.

"Cepheus. That's rather strange, isn't it? Where'd it come from?" Harry wondered. He'd never heard of anyone with that name before. He wondered if it was a family name or something.

"It's a constillation. Everyone in the Black family is named after one. You're no acception," Severus said.

"Tonks' isn't, is it?" Harry asked. He didn't think the name Nymphadora came Astrology.

"Andromeda probably did that just to spite the rest of us."

Severus and Harry turned around to see Bella in the doorway.

"Are you two coming to dinner or what?" Bella asked.

"It's that late already?" Severus asked. He took out his watch and saw that it after six. "I guess so. Alright, let's go," he said. He and Harry then followed Bella out of the room.


	27. Chapter 27

Neville was in laying on his bed thinking about everyting that he'd learned a few days ago. That was how he spent most of his free time these days. He still couldn't get over the injustice that had been done to him, Harry, and both their families. Every time he thought of what Dumbledore and McGonagall did, it filled him with a blinding fury that made him want to kill someone. He frankly wasn't sure how he was going to survive school weithout cursing McGonagall to death.

Neville was soon pulled out of his thought by the sound of his grandmorther's voice. "Neville, darling, come down here please!"

Neville immediately got up and headed out of his room. He walked down the large staircase and walked down the hall to the living room.

What he saw when he entered the room made his blood boil. McGonagall was standing there acting all chummy with his grandmother. "What the bloody hell are you doing here? You've got some nerve showing your face in my home."

"Neville!" Augusta Longbottom scolded.

Neville ignored his grandmother and continued to look at his professor scathingly.

"Mr. Longbottom, I can see that you're angry-"

"Angry? Angry! Anger doesn't even begin to cover it! You destroyed my life!" Neville screamed.

"Neville! What is the matter with you?" Augusta asked, outraged that her grandson would speak to anyone this way.

Minvera was frankly taken aback by the usually meek boy's rage. "I see you've spoken to Mr. Potter. Please, allow me to explain-"

Explain? You want to explain? What makes you think that anything you have to say will mean a damn thing to me!" Neville yelled.

Minerva flinched. She knew that the Longbottom boy wouldn't respond well when he found out the truth, but she never imagined that he would react this way. Though she supposed she shouldn't be so surprised.

"Neville, what has gotton into you? You know better than to speak to anyone like this, let alone a teacher," Augusta admonished.

"You want to tell her or should I?" Neville asked McGonagall. He hadn't yet told his grandmother of the things Harry told him. He was busy trying wrap his own mind around everything and he had wanted to do that before telling her of the horrible atrocity.

"Mr. Longbottom, please. There are reasons. If you'll just-"

"Reasons. Yeah, I heard about your bloody reasons. Guess what? I don't give a damn! Why is it that you and that meddling old man think that you can just spout the phrase 'Greater Good' and assume that makes everything all better. Merlin. You're not gods. You don't have the right to mess with people's lives like this!" Neville raged.

"What is going on here? Neville, what do you mean when you say that Professor McGonagall messed with people's lives?" Augusta asked.

"Go ahead, Professor. Tell her. Tell my grandmother how you and the headmaster destroyed our entire family," Neville said.

"We didn't know this would happen," Minerva said. She did regret her actions. If she'd known that taking Harry would've resulted in the destruction innocent lives, she never would've done it.

"That's the rub, isn't it? That's what happens when you play God with people's lives. It creates a sequence of events that you can't control! You make me sick! I can't believe I ever admired someone like you," Neville said, sounding almost disgusted with himself. He'd looked up to this woman for years. He considered her a mentor of sorts. All the while, she was the woman ultimately responsible for him not having parents."

"Alright, enough! One of you is going to tell me what is going on this instant!" Augusta said sternly.

"Well, since Professor McGonagall is too much of coward to do so, I'll tell you. Harry came to see me a few days ago with Professor Snape," Neville said.

"Snape?" Augusta said horrified. She knew that Severus Snape was the one that killed Dumbledore.

Neville nodded. "It seems things aren't as they seem. He killed Dumbledore because Dumbledore asked him to. Apparently the old man was already dying. Though if you ask me, even if Snape had killed Dumbledore in cold blood, he would've been justified. After what Dumbledore did to him, to the rest of us, he deserved worse."

"What did he do?" she asked.

"What he does best. He meddled. Apparently there was some kind of prophecy that pertained to either me or Harry."

"Yes, I know that much. Your father explained it just before you all went into hiding," Augusta said.

"Well, anyway, Dumbledore decided that Harry's parents weren't fit to be the parents of the possible child of the prophecy. He wanted him with a 'light' family," Neville said.

"What are you talking about? The Potters were as light as they come. They were loyal to Dumbledore," Augusta said.

"I know. That's why Dumbledore placed him with the Potters. They weren't Harry's parents," he told her.

"What?" Augusta asked astonished.

"Yeah. Dumbledore stole Harry from his family and gave him to the Potters to raise. He of course had help from her," Neville said as looked at McGonagall scathingly. He then turned back to his grandmother. "His real parents were much different from the Potters and were far from loyal to Dumbledore."

"Who are they?" she wondered.

"Professor Snape... and Bellatrix Lestrange," Neville said.

Augusta stared at her grandson with a mixture of shock and horror. "That... That... _woman_ is his mother?"

Neville nodded.

"Well, that is quite surprising. Though I hope no one expecting me to feel sorry for the woman," Augusta said. She didn't condone stealing children, but she would not pity that woman for what she lost, not after what she'd done to her Frank.

"You don't understand, Gran. This thing that they did, it didn't just affect the Lestrange and Snape families. It affected us too. Bellatrix Lestrange went out of her mind after her son was taken. She joined the death eater ranks because You Know Who promised to find Harry for her," Neville explained.

"Who gave you that line of bull? It's ridiculous. The black family, save a few, have been into the dark arts for years," Augusta said.

"Harry told me. And he has ever bit as much reason to hate her as we do. She killed his godfather. Or at least the person he thought was his godfather. He seems to believe her and I believe him. He has no reason to lie. Not after coming here like a man to tell me himself," Neville said. He would always respect Harry for that. Harry could've taken the coward's way out. He could've let someone else tell him, but he didn't. He'd come over and told him man to man, knowing that Neville could've thrown him out or cursed him just for who he was. He'd lived up to Gryffindor house.

"If it is true, that means that the Lestranges only attacked you because You Know Who told her to and they only followed him to get their child back," Augusta realized. She was starting to see why Neville was so angry. What Dumbledore and McGonagall did had created a domino affect that would lead to the destruction of their family.

Nevile shook his head. "It's much more twisted than that, Gran. See, Harry and I had the same birthday. They didn't attack us because they were ordered to. They did because they thought that Harry and I were the same person."

Augusta just stared at him in shock for a minute before glaring at McGonagall and raising her wand.

Minerva was barely able dodge the spell that had come her way. "Augusta, please."

"Get out! You have destroyed my son and his wife. Get out before I kill you where you stand!" Augusta ordered before sending another curse at her.

Minerva apparated out before it could hit her.

Augusta turned back to her grandson. "You're certain of everyting you've been told?"

Neville nodded. "Yes. As I said, Harry has no reason to lie. It certainly didn't do him any favors."

"I want to talk to him. I want to sit down and speak to Harry Potter," Augusta said.

"I'm not sure that's possible. Harry's in hiding and he's with the Lestrange family. Besides, it's not his fault," Neville said. No matter what else, he knew that none of this was Harry's fault.

"I need to speak with him, Neville. And I want it to be somewhere public, just in case," Augusta said.

Neville sighed. "I'll write him, but if he says 'no', I won't push. He's suffered just as much as we have."

She nodded.

Neville immediately left the room to go write Harry.


	28. Chapter 28

Harry was laying on his bed in the room he shared with Draco reading a book when Rodophus came in.

"You got mail, boys," Rodophus said. He then handed one envelope to Draco and two to harry.

Harry began examining the letters. The first one was from Hermione. She just asked what she usually did. She wondered how he was doing and if things had gotton any better with his parents.

Harry put the letter aside and looked at the other one. His stomach started twisting in knots as he realized who it was from. He recognized the handwriing from the last one he got from him. It was from Neville.

Harry took a deep breath and began to read.

_Dear Harry,_

_First I would like to say that I really appreciate how you came to my house and told me everything. I know that had to be hard for you given the circumstances and I am extemely grateful._

_Now you need to know that I have explained the situation to my grandmother. Despite me trying to tell her that none of what's happened is an responsibility of yours, she insists on meeting with you. She asin't told me why or what she wishes to say to you I'm afraid. She has just asked that the three of us meet in a public please._

_I realize that this request may be very difficult if not impossible for you under the circumstances, and if you feel you can't honor it, I completely understand. If you can though I would greatly appeciate it. Please write back and let me know._

_Neville_

Harry just stared at the letter for a minute. He wasn't sure what to do. He knew he owed Neville and his grandmother at least this much, but he was scared. He wasn't sure he could handle the anger he was sure he would receive from Mrs. Longbottom.

Harry was also sure that Bella and Severus would not allow it. He'd been told several times by Bella that it wasn't safe for him to leave the grounds. Not to mention the fact that he was still being punished for sneaking out and putting himself in danger. Sure, Severus had taken him to see Neville last time, but that was probably because he realized how upset he was at the prospect of Neville finding out from someone else.

Draco, who had previously been reading his own mail, looked over and saw the distressed look on his cousin's face. "What's wrong with you?"

"I got another letter from Neville. He and his grandmother want to meet with me," Harry answered.

"You're not planning on sneaking out again, are you?" Draco asked.

"Do I look like I have a death wish? I'd be killed. And I don't mean from Voldemort or his death eaters. Still, i have to do this, I owe it to the Longbottoms," Harry said. He knew he had to go, but he wasn't sure how he was going to do it without risking Bella's wrath. He'd already been on the receiving end of it once and he wasn't in a hurry to relive it.

"No, you don't. You didn't do anything to Longbottom's family, and even if you did, it wouldn't change anything. Sitting down for tea with the Longbottoms won't fix what happened to them.

Harry glared at him. "Yeah, I know that. But the least I can do is listen and allow them to vent if that's what they need to do. I'm just not sure how I'm going to get out of here."

"You could always go with the obvious. Ask Aunt Bella if you can go," Draco said.

"She'll say 'no'", Harry said confidently. He felt he'd come to know Bella quite well since he'd come to live at Lestrange Manor. She was very strict and she didn't bend easily. He'd sooner get Severus to agree than Bella and that was saying something.

"Yeah, that's probably true. Aunt Bella won't want to take chances with your safety. Uncle Severus either," Draco said.

Harry groaned and collapsed down on the bed. "My life was much less complicated when I was an orphan."

Draco laughed. "I bet you never thought you'd be saying that. Hey, I know who you could go to for help."

Harry immediately sat back up. "Who?"

"Rabastan. He's a lot less strict than the othes. I bet if you told him what you wanted to do and why, he'd take you," Draco said.

"Are you insane? I can't take one of the Lestrange brothers to a meeting with the Longbottoms," Harry said. That would be a slap in their faces. He wouldn't do that to them.

"He can wear a glamour and stay out of sight. It's your only option. And this way, when Aunt Bella finds out, it'll be Rabastan she goes after instead of you. After all, you will have gone to an adult of the house," Draco said smirking.

Harry was still hesitant. For one, Rabastan might say 'no' and tell Bella about it, and for another, he still didn't feel right bringing the man around the Longbottoms.

On the other hand though, Harry knew he had to find a way to make that meeting and he wouldn't be able to do it without Rabastan's help. "Where is he now?"

xxxxxxxxxxx

Harry took a deep breath before knocking on Rabastan's study.

"Enter!"

Harry hesitated a little before walking inside.

"Harry. It's a suprise to see you here. Not that it's unwelcome mind you. You'r always welcome in my kneck of the woods," Rabastan said.

"Er, thanks. Um, I was wondering if you could help me with something," Harry said.

"Sure. What is it?" Rabastan asked eagerly. He believed this was the first time since he'd been there that the boy came to one of them for help.

"I need to go to Diagon Alley," Harry said. Neville hadn't exactly specified where he wanted to meet, but he figured that would be it.

"Do you need something? I can pick it up for you," Rabastan said. He frequently went out under a glamour.

"No, it's not like that. I need to meet someone," Harry said.

"Oh, Harry, I don't think that's a good idea. It's too dangerous for you to leave the grounds. And going into a place as public as Diagon Alley is definitely a bad idea," Rabastan said. He also knew Bella would have his head if he even thought of taking her son there.

"I know, but it's Neville," Harry said.

Rabastan immediately looked away as guilt welled up in the pit of his stomach.

"I owe it to Neville to do this. So do you," Harry said. He felt a bit bad playing on the man's guilt like that, but he was desperate.

"Didn't you already speak to the boy?" Rabastan asked.

"Yes, but he was overwhelmed. he asked me to give him time so that he could get a handle of things. Now he has and he and his grandmother want to see me," Harry explained.

"Augusta Longbottom. No, Harry, I don't think that's a good idea. I don't want her taking what we did out on you," he said.

Harry had to admit he was a bit touched by the concern. "I can handle myself. And this is soemthing that I need to do. It's the only thing that will allow me to sleep at night with a clear conscience."

"Harry, your conscience should already be clear. What happened to the Longbottoms was because of us, not you," Rabastan said firmly. He hated that his nephew was suffering because of what he and the boy's own parents did. It wasn't his fault.

"Well, I still feel responsible. Maybe I shouldn't, but I do. I feel like I have to do this. I won't be to move on from it until I do."

Rabastan sighed. "Bella will kill me."

"Does this mean you'll help me?" Harry asked hopefully. It sure sounded that way. He sounded like he was reluctantly conceding.

"Change the meeting place. Diagon Alley is too dangerous. make it someplace else, preferrably a muggle place. And I can't believe I just said that," Rabastan said.

Harry grinned. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet. Thank me if your parents don't kill both of us by the time this is over," Rabastan said.

Harry immediate ran from the room to go write Neville back.


	29. Chapter 29

The next morning, Harry nervously ate his breakfast. He was doing his best to act normally and not let anyone find out what he and Rabastan were doing today, but he was worried. He was worried that they'd get caught either before or after and then Bella would kill them. Draco had said that she wouldn't be able to get mad at him because he'd gone to an adult of the household, but that logic seemed faulty. Something told him that he'd still be in huge trouble if caught.

After finishing breakfast, Severus stood up. "Alright, Harry, let's go."

"Actually, Severus, he's going to hang out with me in the library while I organize things in there," Rabastan said.

Severus looked at his son surprised. "Is that what you want?"

Harry nodded. "I want to do some reading today."

"Okay then. You will do whatever he askes of you. Is that understood?" Severus asked.

"Yes sir," Harry said.

"Alright, let's go then," Rabastan said before quickly leading the boy upstairs and into his study. he shut and locked the door behind them. "When's the meeting?"

"In an hour. At a muggle dinner in Surrey," Harry said. he'd arranged for the meeting to be at a dinner he used to go to by his relatives old home.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Rabastan asked. He still had reservations about this whole thing.

Harry nodded. "I have to."

"Alright, well, we'll need to leave soon so we can be there before the Longbottoms. I'm going to be under a disillusionment charm so that the Longbottoms can't see me," Rabastan explained.

Harry nodded. That sounded like the best option. He certainly didn't want either of the Longbottoms seeing him. That would be like a slap in their faces. "How are we going?"

"Apparation. I've already lifted the wards. Now take my hand," Rabastan said.

Harry gave him his hand and they apparated out.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Harry sat nervously at a table in the middle of the diner. Rabastan was sitting in a booth in the very back, but he couldn't be seen by anyone, including Harry.

Harry stood up as Neville ented the diner with his grandmother.

"Hey, Harry."

"Hey, Nev," Harry greeted.

"This is my grandmother. Gran, this is Harry Potter," Neville introduced.

"Hello, Ma'am," Harry addressed politely.

"Mr. Potter," Augusta said simply, her face and voice undetectable. "Shall we sit down?"

Harry nodded and sat back down in his chair. Neville and Augusta sat across from him.

"Neville has explained the entire story to me. Might I inquire as to how you stumbled upon it?" Augusta asked.

"Of course, Ma'am. I was told by Gringotts that I was the sole heir of the Prince family at around my birthday. I knew that Severus Snape was the only living Prince left. After hearing the explanation from the goblins of how I could inherit whie he was alive, the conclusion was inescapable. He had to be my biological father. After that, I spent sometime trying to find out who my mother was. I figured that Dumbledore had to have known the truth, so I went to his office to see if he had left anything there that could give me some answers. I looked in his pensieve. That's how I found out that I was abducted," Harry explained.

"And this business with the Lestranges?" Augusta asked with more than a little bit of disgust in her voice.

"Right. I found out that Bellatrix Lestrange was my mother through McGonagall. I was frankly completely mortified. It disgusted me to know that she was any relation to me whatsoever. It was like someone had told me that Voldemort himself was my father. I hated hearing it," Harry said.

"And now?" Neville asked. He and Harry hadn't really talked about how he felt about everything. Harry had just told him the facts and left.

"I...I don't know," Harry said honestly. The more time he spent around the Lestranges, the less he was sure about how he felt. He still felt anger towards Bella and quite a lot of it. No matter what her reasons, she'd still killed Sirius. He wasn't sure he'd ever forgive her for that.

"What's not to know, Mr. Potter? They are murderers," Mrs. Longbottom said scathingly.

"Gran," Neville said.

"It's okay, Neville," Harry said. "Mrs. Longbottom, I understand why you hate them, why you might even hate me."

"We don't hate you, Harry. Well, I don't anway. It wasn't your fault," Neville said.

"So people keep trying to tell me. Still, I'm sorry. It never should've happened," Harry said.

"No, it shouldn't have," Augusta agreed.

"Gran, it's not his fault," Neville said.

"I am aware of that, Neville, but he is the son of the person who is to blame. He can't change that," Augusta said.

Harry looked down. "No, I can't. There's nothing that I can say or do to make it better. I mean, I could tell you that they had their reasons, but I know it wouldn't matter to you, nor should it."

"And what about these so called reasons. What makes you so sure of what you told Neville?" she asked.

"They told me. And I know what you're going to say. Maybe they're lying. I don't think so. They're not traditional death eaters. If they were, they would've let me rot," Harry told her.

"So you know where they are then," Augusta realized.

"If you're going to ask me to turn them in-" Harry's words were cut off by the sound of a blast.

Soon, they were all ducking as the glass from the doors and windows shattered. Harry looked up to see at least a dozen death eaters around them.

Rabastan immediately cancelled the disillusionment charm and started attacking them. "Harry, get out of here!"

"What's going on?" Neville asked. One minute everything was fine and the next things were in chaos.

"Come on," Harry said as he grabbed Neville's arm. Just as they approached the counter, one death eater advanced on them. Harry fired a stunner at him and it hit full force.

The two boys quickly ducked behind the counter. "How did they know we'd be here?" Neville wondered.

"I don't know. All I know is there are two many of them for just your grandmother and my uncle to fight," Harry said. He knew Rabastan wanted him to stay where it was safe, but he wouldn't let the man die because of him. "Do you still remember everyting you learned from the DA?"

"Of couse," Neville said.

"Good because we're going to have to fight our way out of here," Harry said.

"I'm ready," Neville said. Honestly he was scared out of his mind, but he knew he had to push that back if he wanted to live.

"Now!" Harry said before rushing forward "_Stupefy!" _He yelled at one death eater while training his wand at him.

Rabastan looked and saw that Harry was still there. "Harry, I said go!"

Harry ignored him and kept going. He dodged a stunner from a death eater and then chanted "_Everte Statum." _The death eater was sent sailing through there air

harry looked around and saw a green light sailing towards Neville. "Neville, look out."

Neville froze in horror. He was sure he was done for when someone body slammed on top of him. He was shocked to see that it was Rabastan Lestrange. The man had just risked his own life to save his.

Rabastan didn't give the Longbottom boy a chance to react before getting up and rejoining the fight.

"What are you doing, Lestrange? You're supposed to be fighting with us," One of them said.

"What can I say? I'm not a very good team player," Rabastan said before throwing out a Reducto.

"_Stupefy!" _Harry heard before he was sent to the ground and a daze. He looked up to see a death eater he didn't recognize looked down at him ith a creepy smile.

"I've got you now, Potter," the man said.

Harry heard another stunner and then saw the death eater hit the floor.

Neville rushed over to Harry and helped him. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just a little dazed. How many are left?" Harry asked.

At least..." Neville was cut off by a blasting charm nicking him in shoulder. "Ahhh!" he screamed in pain as he held his shoulder.

"Neville!" Harry yelled before pointed his wand at the death eater that hurt his friend. "_Expelliarmus!" _He shouted.

The spell was powerful enough that it not only disarmed him, but sent him sailing across the room and into the wall. He landed on the ground with a thud.

Harry took a few steps foward when the death eater did not get up. When he got close, he saw that the man's eyes were open, but they were lifeless. He was dead."


	30. Chapter 30

Harry looked down at the dead man on the ground in horror. He couldn't believe it. He'd killed a man. He didn't mean to, but he did. His disarming spell had been so powerful that it knocked him around so hard it killed him.

Harry's hands began to shake as he came to the realization of what he had done. He'd taken a life. He was a killer.

Neville groaned in pain on the ground behind Harry. He looked over and watched as Harry kneeled in front of a death eater. "Harry, what are you doing? Get away from him before he gets up again!"

Harry didn't pay his warning any mind. There was no point. That man was never going to get up and attack him. He wished he would. At least then Harry wouldn't be a killer.

Neville forced himself up and over to his friend. "Harry, what are you..." Neville trailed off as he realized what had happened and why Harry was in such a state. "Oh, man. Harry, it was an accident."

Harry didn't hear him. The only thing he could think about was the lifeless body of the man he'd killed. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Meanwhile, Rabastan had just finished with the remaiing death eaters. He checked Augusta Longbottom, who was thankfully just unconscious, to make sure she would be alright and then looked around for Harry and saw him and the Longbottom boy by a death eater. He immediately went over to the boy. "Harry, we have to get out of here."

"I didn't mean it. I'm sorry," Harry said. He seemed to be talking more to the dead death eater than anyone else.

Rabastan looked down at the dead man. He didn't recall killing this one. Though he had taken out a lot today and he didn't exactly stop to look at them.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Harry repeated over and over again.

Rabastan looked between the dead death eater and Harry's guilt ridden face. I got it. He hadn't killed this man. Harry had.

Rabastan didn't let himself contemplate what had happened or what Harry must be feeling from it. He had to get Harry out of there fast.

He grabbed Harry by the arms and started pulling him away. "Come on, Harry. We have to get out of here."

"I d...didn't mean to," Harry cried.

"i know. It's okay," Rabastan said as he held the boy close.

Neville looked at them. He could see the pain and guilt in Harry's eyes. He also knew that Harry needed to get out of there before either the Ministry or more death eaters showed up. "Go. Get out of here."

Rabastan helped Harry to his feet and apparated out with him.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Bella was in her study organizing a few things when her husband walked in with her sister. "Narcissa, what brings you here?"

"I came to check on Draco. How is he?" Narcissa asked.

"He's doing alright. He and Harry had a couple of issues when he first got here, but I think we have them under control," Bella said.

"Speaking of, how is my nephew?" Narcissa asked. She'd been wondering about him and wanting to see him for a while now, but she figured he needed time to adjust his new reality.

""Well, he stopped glaring at us twenty-four/seven. That's something," Rodophus said.

Bella nodded. "He doesn't exactly trust us. A week ago, he snuck out of the manor because he received a faux vision from the Dark Lord."

"Speaking of, Love, did you adjust the anti-apparation wards?" Rodophus asked.

"No, why?" Bella asked, immediately going on alert.

"Well, Narcissa apparated onto the grounds. The wards shouldn't have allowed her to do that," Rodophus said.

"Where's Harry?" Bella asked. She had a feeling this had something to do with him. She'd been suspicious ever since he'd announced he was spending the day with Rabastan that they were up to something. This was confirmation if she ever needed it.

"He's supposed to be in the library with Rabastan," Rodophus said.

Bella immediately headed out of the room. As soon as she made it into the hallway, Rabastan appeared with Harry. "Where the bloody hell have the two of you been?"

Harry didn't answer. He just bolted down the hall towards his bedroom.

"Hey! Get back here!" Bella yelled after him.

"Let him go, Bella. It's been a trying day for him," Rabastan said.

Rodophus and Narcissa came out at that moment. "What's going on?" Rodophus asked.

"Well, I know why the wards are down. Your brother took Harry somewhere. Where did you take him, Rabastan?" Bella demanded to know.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I didn't know this would happen," Rabastan said. If he had known that at the end of the day, Harry would end up with blood on his hands, he never would've taken him out of the house.

"What did you do?" Bella asked through gritted teeth.

"I took Harry to a meeting with the Longbottoms," Rabastan said.

"You what! Without asking one of us first? Are you crazy? Do you have any idea how dangerous it is out there for him?" Bella asked angrily.

Rabastan nodded. "Yes, I know all too well. I'm sorry. He begged me. He felt he had to do it for the Longbottoms and I was hoping that it would alleviate guilt that was not his to carry. I never imagined this would happen."

"What exactly did happen, Rabastan?" Rodophus asked.

"There was an attack."

Bella's eyes widened in alarm. "What? Is he alright?"

"Physically," Rabastan said. He knew the boy was not okay. Nobody with a conscience was the first time they took a life.

Bella narrowed her eyes. She didn't like the way he said that. "What does that mean?"

'Th...things got bad. When we were attacked, I told Harry to leave, but he wouldn't. Instead, he and the Longbottom boy joined the fight. i had to dive on top of Neville Longbottom to stop a killing curse from hitting him," he said.

"Get to the point, Rabastan. What happened to Harry?" Rodophus asked.

Rabastan sighed. "When everything was said and done and all the death eaters were down, I saw Harry kneeling over one of them. He was so distraught. He kept repeating over and over again 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry'."

Bella felt a sinking feeling in the bottom of her stomach. What happened better not be what she was thinking or she was going to kill Rabastan. "Are you trying to say that my son killed someone."

"I'm sorry, Bella. I don't know what happened or how he did it, but I'm sure he did. It was written all over his face. He did it and it's destoying him," Rabastan said sadly.

Bella took a couple of steps towards him, causing Rabastan to back up in fear. "You better pray it doesn't or I'm going to destroy you!" she vowed before taking off in the opposite direction in search of her son.

Rodophus glared at his brother fiercly. "What the bloody hell were you thinking?"

"I was trying to help him," Rabastan said.

"Oh, you helped him alright. You just gave him a lifetime of nightmares," Rodophus said angrily before walked away.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Harry stormed into the room he shared with Draco and practically jumped onto his bed. He laid down, brought his knees to his chest and started crying. He couldn't get the image of that man out of his head. He kept replaying it over and over again in his mind. He didn't understand how it could've happened. He didn't use any lethal spells. All he'd used was a disarming spell. All it should've done was take his wand from him and maybe knock him back a bit. It wasn't supposed to kill him.

Draco stared at his cousin in shock. He'd been sitting on his own bed when Harry had bolted in the way he did. "Are you okay?"

Harry was barely aware of his cousin's question, but he didn't answer it. How could he? How could he say out loud that he'd caused a man's death. Even Draco would hate him if he admitted that.

"What happened? Was it Longbottom?" Draco asked.

Just then, Bella walked in. "Draco, you need to go find something to do far away from here. I believe your mother is still here. She's by my study."

"Is Harry okay?" Draco asked. He wasn't sure why he was so concerned. Maybe because he'd never seen Harry like this. It was a bit unsettling.

"Go now," Bella ordered. She wasn't yelling, but her voice was firm.

Draco nodded and left the room.

Bella sat down on Harry's bed and placed a hand on his shoulder. He was trembling.

"I...I didn't mean it," Harry said.

"I know," Bella assured him. No matter what happened, she knew it had to be self-defense or an accident or both. Harry was no killer.

"I killed someone," Harry said. It was the first time he admitted it out loud and it made his guilt evern worse.

"Was he attacking you?" Bella asked.

"Yes," he replied.

"Then it's not your fault," Bella told her son.

"Yes, it is. I killed him!" Harry yelled.

Bella rubbed his back soothingly. "Listen to me. It is never easy to take someone's life, nor should it be. And it should never feel okay after it's been done. But there is something you need to understand. Sometimes there is no choice. When someone attacks you, sometimes you have no choice but to fight back with deadly force. i know it's not easy and I would give anything for you to not have go through what you are right now, but you did what you had to do."

"I didn't even mean to kill him. I used a disarming spell. It knocked him against the wall and he died," Harry explained.

"The impact killed him," Bella realized.

"I shouldn't have been there," Harry said. If he had just stayed in the house like he was supposed to instead of going to that stupid meeting, none of this would've happened.

"No, you shouldn't have, but that doesn't matter now," Bella said. She could yell at him about leaving the Manor now, not when he was this traumatized. Besides, anything that she could say to him, he was already saying to himself and then some.

"I'm sorry," Harry cried. He was sorry for all of it. He was sorry for leaving the house when he wasn't supposed to. He was sorry for manipulating Rabastan into taking him. Most of all though, he was sorry for killing that man.

"I know you are. It's alright," Bella said.

"How can you say that? I killed a man. That's not okay," Harry said. He couldn't seem to get past what he'd done. He'd taken another person's life. How could anybody think that that was okay?"

Just then, Severus walked in. "Rodophus told me what happened. How is he?"

Bella shook her head sadly. "Not good."

Severus walked over to them and got the first look at his son since what happened. He looked terrible. Completely inconsolable. "Sit up a bit," he told him before helping him up a little and bringing a potion to his lips.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

"Dreamless Sleep," Severus said. His son looked completely spent. He needed to get some sleep without having to worry about reliving what had just happened.

Harry gladly took the potion. He then laid back down. It wasn't long before he started to drift off to a blissful sleep.


	31. Chapter 31

Neville laid in a bed in St. Mungo's. After Harry and Rabastan Lestrange left he'd revived his grandmother. They called the Aurors and then went straight to the hospital for treatment.

Neville watched as his grandmother ranted about everything that went down, including Harry.

"It wouldn't surprise me if that boy set the whole thing up," Augusta said.

"Gran, that's ridiculous. They were after Harry," Neville said.

"How do you know? They were attacking all of us. For all we know, it was a set up for us. You saw that bastard Lestrange there," Augusta said.

"Yeah, I did. Wanna know what else I saw? I saw Lestrange take out a dozen death eaters. I also saw him dive on top of me just as a killing curse was about to hit me," Neville said.

Augusta stared at her grandson in shock. "What?"

"Yeah, I was just as surprised as you are. I never thought I would see the day where a Lestrange would risk his life to save mine. Look, I hate him just as much as you do, but the fact of the matter is that he is the only reason any of us are still alive. Neither he nor Harry had anything to do with the attack," Neville said. Frankly he wasn't sure how his grandmother could even think that Harry or even Rabastan Lestrange had anything to do with what happened. As much as he hated to give a Lestrange credit for anything, if it wasn't for him, they'd all be dead.

"So you think it was just a coincidence that he was there," Augusta asked skeptically.

"Coincidence? No, of course not. He was there to protect Harry. Harry's got a target on his back. He probably brought Lestrange with him to protect himself from exactly what happened," Neville said.

"Then how did the death eaters find us if no one told them?" Augusta asked.

"I don't know. All I know is that Rabastan Lestrange saved all out lives tonight. Why would he do that if it was all a setup?" Neville ased.

"Maybe that was the point. Maybe it was to save us so we'd feel sorry for them. Did you ever think of that?" Augusta asked.

"Believe me, it wasn't," Neville said. If he ever had any doubt, which he didn't, it would've gone out the window the minute he saw Harry take the life of that death eater. He'd seen the look in his eyes. it was like someone had ripped out a piece of him. There was no way Harry would ever put himself in that position.

Just then, Tonks and Shacklebolt and Tonks walked in. "Mr. Longbottom, how are you feeling?" Tonks asked.

"I'm alright," Neville said.

"Are the two of you up answering some questions?"

"Of course. We'll tell you everything that happened," Augusta said. She then proceeded to tell them everything from the beginning of the meeting until she was knocked unconscious.

"So Potter is actually the Lestrange's kid?" Shackbolt asked.

"Bellatrix Lestrange's and Severus Snape's," Tonks corrected.

"You knew about this? Why didn't you say anything?" Shackbolt asked.

"It wasn't my place to say anything," Tonks said. In truth, she wouldn't have said anything either way. She knew how the Ministry would regard Harry once they knew. She wanted to keep that happening for as long as possible.

"Of course it was. You're an Auror. It's is your job to report any possible dark wizards," he said.

Tonks knuckles went white with anger. It took all her willpower to stop from killing her colleage. "Are you suggesting that just because his parents have done some questionable things, that means that Harry is dark?"

"I think questionable things is a bit of an uderstatement," Augusta said bitterly.

"You have to admit, Tonks, it does seem a bit coincidental that death eaters would attack while the Longbottoms were talking to the boy," Shacklebolt said.

"What's coincidental about it? It's already well known that You Know Who wants Harry's head. Of course they attacked while he was out in the open. He was there target, you moron!" Tonks yelled.

"Or maybe the boy initiated the attack," Shacklebolt theorized.

"That's what I said. The whole thing was probably a ploy for Lestrange to play hero," Augusta said.

"That's not what happened," Neville said.

"Why don't you tell us what did happen? You were conscious the whole time, weren't you?" Tonks asked Neville.

"Yes," Neville said. He then recounted the event of what happened up until he was hit with the blasting curse.

"So Lestrange saved you?" Tonks asked.

"Yeah. he dove on top of me just as the killing curse was about to hit me," Neville told her.

"What about when you were hit with blasting curse. How'd you get out of that one?" Shacklebolt asked.

"Um, I'm sure how was able to. I guess it was pure adrenaline. I cast a disarming charm. It knocked him into a wall," Neville lied. He couldn't tell them what really happened. The wizarding world was already going to think of Harry as a pariah the moment they found out whose son he was. Shacklebolt's reaction was proof of that. If they found out he killed a man, they would want his head. They wouldn't care how or why it happened, they would just go after him. Neville couldn't let that happen. If he said he did it in self-defense, they would believe him. They wouldn't believe Harry.

"All the death eaters were found dead," Tonks said.

"I know. As I said, the disarming spell sent my attacker into a wall. I think the impact must have killed him," Neville said.

"You never told me that, Neville," Augusta said.

"I didn't get the chance," Neville said.

Augusta turned to address the Aurors. "Well, as you can plainly see, my grandson was trying to protect himself. He had no other choice."

"Of course, Ma'am. Mr. Longbottom, rest assured, no charges will be filed against you," Shacklebolt said.

Neville said. He was a little irritated though. He knew if Harry was the one giving the same story, he wouldn't have been believed so easily. The Ministry really was just as corrupt and biased as the death eaters.

"Alright, we'll leave you to heal now. make sure to let us know if you remember anything else of importance," Tonks said.

Neville nodded and watched as they left.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Rodophus walked into the kitchen, where Rabastan, Narcissa, and Draco were waiting. "I hope your affairs are in order, little brother."

"Rodophus, I know you're angry-"

"Angry? No, I was angry when you conjured snakes in my sixth year and set them loose in my bed! I was angry when you changed all my robes to red and gold when you were twelve! This goes above and beyond anger. I'm furious! But I'll tell you something right now. My anger is nothing compared to how Bella's going to feel. I suggest you start planning your funeral now," Rodophus said.

"I didn't mean for him to get hurt. I was trying to help him," Rabastan said. The words were barely out of his mouth before he had to dodge a spell coming right at him.

Everyone turned around and saw Bella and Severus. Bella had her wand drawn and was throwing curses at Rabastan left and right.

Rabastan ducked behind the table in an attempt to avoid his sister-in-law's fury. "Bella, come on, I'm sorry."

Bella through another curse at him, which hit the window instead and shattered it.

"Bloody hell, woman! Would you stop for a minute and let me explain?" Rabastan asked.

"Oh, you want to explain, do you? Go ahead. Explain to me why you thought it was a good idea to take my son out of this house where you knew he was a target!" Bella yelled.

"I...I was trying to help him. He felt guilty over what happened to the Longbottoms. He felt he owed them to at least talk with them. I didn't agree, but I thought that if I took him, maybe he could let go of the guilt that wasn't his to carry," Rabastan explained.

"Well, congradulations. He's no longer thinking about the Longbottoms. Instead he's dealing with a much deeper sense of guilt. A guilt that will stay with him for the rest of his life," Severus said. He too was furious. He knew what if felt like to haveblood on your hands. It ate you up inside. He never wanted that for his son.

"It wasn't supposed to happen. We were careful," Rabastan said.

"Well, apparently not careful enough!" Bella said angrily before throwing another curse at him, which he dodged. "You should've come to me. Or better yet, you should've sent him to me. I would've explained to him why he couldn't go. Instead, you let him exploit your own guilt for his own benifit and it caused him emmense pain and guilt. You better pray that we can get him through this because if we can't, it's you who will pay for it," Bella vowed before walking away.


	32. Chapter 32

The next morning, Harry was laying on his bed staring at the ceiling. He'd just woken up from the potion his father had given him. For a second when he woke up, he'd thought that maybe it didn't happen. Maybe it had all been a terrible dream. That bliss had only lasted a couple of seconds. He'd killed a man and he couldn't hide from that fact.

Harry heard someone enter his room, but he didn't bother turning to see who it was. Truthfully, he didn't care who it was. All he wanted was to lay there in silence until the pain and guilt went away.

"Harry, it's time for breakfast," Bella said.

Harry didn't even look at her when he spoke. "I'm not hungry."

Bella sighed and sat down next to him.

Harry turned to face the wall. He didn't want her to see him. He didn't want anyone to see him. He didn't want anyone to see the killer he now was, not even Bella.

"Harry, will you please look at me?" Bella asked.

Harry shook his head.

Bella was quiet for a moment. She wasn't sure what to say. She knew that nothing she could say would make him feel better. She could try to tell him again that it wasn't his fault, but he wouldn't believer here. It simply didn't matter how much of an accident it was. The fact of the matter was that Harry had taken someone else's life. She knew from experience that that pain wasn't just going to go away.

"I don't even know his name. I killed a man and I don't even know who he was," Harry said.

"I'll tell you who he was, Harry. He was a death eater. He was a murdering fool who was attacking you and your friend. That's why he died," Bella explained.

"No. He died because I killed him," Harry said sadly.

"And why did you kill him, Harry? Because he was trying to hurt you. If you hadn't fought back, it would've eventually resulted in your death. It is terrible to be responsible for someone's death, but sometimes it is unavoidable," Bella said.

"It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter who he was, it doesn't matter what he did. Maybe it should, but it doesn't, not to me," Harry said. It didn't matter how many times he was told it wasn't his fault. In his eyes, he wasn't much better than the death eaters.

"Harry, it's alright to feel guilty. I'd be worried if you didn't feel guilty. You're not supposed to be able to take someone's life and feel good about it." Contrary to popular belief, she didn't feel nothing when she killed. She felt guilt with every life she took. What kept her going was Harry. It was knowing that every life she took was to keep him alive. "What I don't want you to do is to get that guilt consume you. You're not a murderer, Harry."

"Aren't I?" Harry asked.

"No. There is a difference between killing someone because you have to and committing murder. Voldemort is a murderer. He killed because he wanted to, because he took pleasure in the deaths of others. You killed a man by accident and only because he was attacking you and your friend. That's not murder. Not even the Ministry calls it murder. Not usually anyway," Bella said under her breath. She had a feeling they would try to call it murder in Harry's case. The minute they found out whose son he was, they would think of everything he did as dark, including this.

"If you say so," Harry said, unconvincingly. He somewhere inside him that she was right, but it didn't really matter to him. At the end of the day, he was responsible for taking someone else's life. He didn't know how to get past that.

"I know that probably doesn't matter to you right now. It's too raw right now. But I will make you see it if it's the last thing I do. For right now, let's just go get some breakfast," Bella said. She knew he didn't want to, but she was determined to get him out of that bed for at least a little while.

"Fine," Harry said. He didn't have the energy to fight her, so he got up and let her lead him out of the room.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

After breakfast, Severus followed Bella into her office so they could talk. "I've never seen him like that," he said. All throughout breakfast, Harry had been extremely quiet and had a blank expression on his face. It was unlike how he'd ever seen the boy before.

Bella shrugged. "We both know the toll that taking life does to a person. It leaves a hole inside you that's never filled."

Severus nodded. He did know that feeling and he would've done anything to prevent his son from feeling it. "Why can this child not catch a break? All his life he's suffered."

"I want to kill Rabastan for this," Bella seethed.

Severus snorted. "Yes, that was a bit obvious by the way you were glaring at him at breakfast. Believe me, there are a few things I'd like to do to the imbecile as well, but it's not all on him. I'm almost positive that Harry manipulated him." While most of his preconceived notions about his son before finding out he was his son were false, he did know that the boy was pretty good at getting what he wanted. Harry carried a great deal of the responsibility for leaving the house.

"I'm sure, but I can't bring myself to scold him for it. Not while he's suffering so," Bella said. Normally she would've let him have it in both ears, but there was no point in it no. Harry knew it was a mistake to leave and he knew why. He'd found out the consequences the hard way. In her opinion, he'd been punished more than enough.

"No, me either."

"We have to figure out a way to get him through this. He can't continue on the way he is. We have to find a way to make his see that what happened wasn't his fault," Bella said.

"I have an idea, but you won't like it and neither will the others."


	33. Chapter 33

"You want to invite one of _them_ into my home?" Bella asked in disgust once she heard what Severus had planned.

"Do you or do you not want to help our son get through this?" Severus asked.

"Of course I do, but surely there's another way. Why not just ask the werewolf, or my niece for that matter? Surely one of them would be better," Bella said.

"I don't trust Lupin not to try to take him away, and he doesn't know Miss Tonks that well. She won't be able to help him, not the way Miss Granger can," Severus explained.

"Mudbloods in my house, Severus. I thought I'd be dead before that ever happened," Bella said.

"I don't suggest calling her that around Harry. In fact, I'd prefer you not do it around me either," Severus said. While he wasn't a fan of the Granger girl, he hated that word. He'd only used it once while not spying and that was with Lily. He' hated himself for saying it to. Although, he didn't feel quite so guilty anymore. Not after her part in taking his son away.

Bella sighed. "This is the only way?"

"It's the only way I can see. Everyone in this house is either a stranger to him or someone who has treated him badly. He doesn't trust us enough to let us help him. Miss Granger will be able to get through his walls. She's in the best position to help him," Severus said.

"Fine," she said. She still didn't like the idea of a mudblood in her house, but she would it for Harry. She would do anything if it meant helping her son through this. "I'll talk to Rodophus about it, but once I've explained it's for Harry's benefit, I don't imagine he'll have a problem with it," she said before heading out of the room.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Hermione was reading the Daily Prophet. It had a disturbing article on the front. It seemed Harry's story had finally broken. The entire Wizarding World now knew Harry was not the son of James and Lily Potter. What was worse was that that witch Skeeter was already calling him dark because of who his parents were. She even claimed that he'd probably joined You Know Who.

After reading about half the article, Hermione ripped the paper up and threw it in the trash. She wasn't interested in hearing all of Skeeter's lies.

Just then there was a knock on the door. Hermione quickly went to answer it. She opened it and found Professor Snape on the other side. "Professor Snape, hi. Is Harry alright?"

"May I come in, Miss Granger?" Severus asked.

"Of course, Professor," Hermione said before stepping aside.

"Are your parents home?" Severus asked as he stepped into the house.

"No, they're both working. Is everything alright?" Hermione asked. She could think of only one reason for her old professor to be there and that was that there was something wrong with Harry.

"I assume you are aware of the attack on muggle London yesterday."

"No, but that might have to do with the fact that I ripped the Prophet up after reading the first half of Skeeter's article," Hermione said heatedly. It infuriated her that the woman could say such awful things about Harry when she didn't know the first thing about him.

Severus nodded understandingly. He was familiar with the article she was speaking of. He and the others had seen it too, though they'd managed to keep it from Harry. Needless to say, none of them had been happy about it. "Yes, well, there was an attack in London yesterday. The Longbottoms were involved, as was Harry."

Hermione's eyes widened in fear. "Is Harry alright?"

"No. Far from it. He's physically okay, but emotionally is a whole different story," Severus said.

"You see, Harry was forced to defend himself during the encounter. He only used a disarming spell, but it was powerful enough that it repelled his opponent across the room. It killed him."

"H...Harry killed someone?" Hermione asked horrified. She wasn't horrified at what Harry had done. She knew that if he'd done it, it was because he had no other choice. But she also knew Harry wouldn't see it that way. All he would see is that someone was dead by his wand.

"Accidently, yes. As I'm sure you've realized by now, Harry is having a difficult time dealing with it," Severus said.

Hermione nodded. "Is there anything I can do?"

"I hope so, Miss Granger. I would like you to spend some time with him at the Lestrange home. I'm hoping that your presence will help pull him out of his depression," Severus said. He knew nothing would take away the guilt of what happened, but he hoped that the Granger girl could help him see that he had no other choice.

"Y...you want me to go to L...Lestrange Manor?" Hermione asked. She wanted to help Harry, but she was a bit scared that that would be hazardous to her health.

Severus sensed what she was feeling. "You have nothing to fear from us, Miss Granger. Despite what you've heard, no one in that house is a true death eater. They are prejudiced. I won't lie and say they aren't, but they are not a danger to your person. In fact, if it makes you feel better, we will all give you a magical oath that we will not harm you."

Hermione thought about it for a minute and then nodded. She was still nervous and unsure about doing this, but it was for Harry. He needed her. "Alright. Let me go pack some things and then we can go."

Severus nodded and then watched her go upstairs.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Severus apparated into the kitchen of Lestrange Manor with Hermione about twenty minutes later. The Lestranges were all sitting at the table.

Hermione took a deep breath. Her heart was beating a mile a minute. She couldn't believe this was happening. She'd just willingly placed herself in a house with the Lestrange family. If anyone had told her a year ago that she'd be doing this a year ago, she'd have had them book a room in St. Mungo's.

"What's she doing here?" Rabastan asked, clearly unhappy at having a muggleborn in his house.

"Shut up, Rabastan. She's here for Harry," Rodophus said. He then stood up and stuck out his hand towards Hermione. "It's a pleasure to see you again, Miss Granger." While he still didn't like muggleborns, he'd made an exception for Miss Granger's sake. For one, because she was a friend of Harry's, and two because after one meeting, he could tell she wasn't the typically muggleborn.

Hermione hesitantly shook the man's hand while keeping her other hand on her wand.

Bella then got up and approached the young woman. She watched as the girl tensed a bit. "Miss Granger, I believe we got off on the wrong foot. While I don't like the ideas of muggles and muggleborns in the magical world, I certainly do not think genocide is the answer either. What I mean to say is that you have nothing to fear from me or anyone else in this house. If you'd like, I'd be more than willing to give you an oath."

Hermione nodded. That would make her feel much better.

Bella quickly swore on her magic not to harm Hermione in any way unless attacked first. "Good enough?"

"Yes. Can I see Harry now?"

"Of Course. I will, however, insist that you not disrespect anyone here to him," Bella said. Her relationship with her son was already practically none existent. She didn't need anyone making that worse.

Hermione nodded. She understood the stipulation and was more than happy to abide by it.

"Come with me, Mrs. Granger. I'll show you to his room," Severus said before leading the way towards the stairs.


	34. Chapter 34

Severus led Hermione into Draco and Harry's room. Both boys were on their beds. Draco was writing what looked to be a letter and Harry was laying with his back turned.

Draco was the first to notice their presence and stared at Hermione in disgust. "What's the mudblood doing here?"

Hearing his cousin's words, Harry immediately turned around. When he saw Hermione, he practically jumped out of his bed and got to his feet. "Hermione, what are you doing here?"

Hermione walked towards him. "Your parents asked me to come. They thought I might be able to help you."

"Draco, would you mind accompanying me to my lab. I could use your help with a potion," Severus said.

Draco scowled at being kicked out of his own room, but did as he was told and followed his godfather.

"Bella must really be worried about me if she let you come," Harry commented. Bella had made no secret of her disgust for muggleborns, nor had the rest of the Lestranges. They had to be really desperate to allow Hermione in the house.

"Everyone's worried about you," Hermione said.

"They shouldn't be. They should worry about the man I murdered," Harry said. He wished his family would stop worrying about him. He didn't deserve it, not after what he did.

"Harry James Potter, don't you ever say that! You are not a murderer!" Hermione said firmly.

"What would you call it then? A man is dead by my wand. My spell killed him," Harry said before sitting back down on his bed.

Hermione went over and sat next to him. "No. His choices killed him Harry. You Know Who killed him."

"Really? Because I don't remember seeing Voldemort there. It was his wand that killed that man, it was mine. My wand, my words," Harry said

"It was a disarming spell, Harry. You couldn't have known," Hermione said.

"I know that the disarming charm can be violent if enough strength is put behind it. I knocked my father out in Third Year with that same spell. Merlin, I could've killed him then," Harry said. It had never occurred to him before, but that spell could've killed Severus in Third Year. He could've murdered his own father.

"But you didn't," Hermione pointed out.

"No, but I did kill someone yesterday," Harry said.

Hermione sighed. "Almost any spell can be fatal if used a certain way. So what are you going to do? Stop defending yourself against attack?"

Harry looked away. He didn't know what to say to that. All he knew was that he wished to Merlin that what happened yesterday hadn't.

"What happened yesterday was a tragedy, and didn't have to happen. It could've been prevented. But not by you. You didn't ask to be attacked, Harry. But once you were, you had to defend yourself. You couldn't just sit back and let them kill yourself and Neville. You tried to disarm that man. You didn't use a fatal spell," Hermione said. She needed to get Harry to see that this was not his fault. He would never forget it of course, but he needed to stop letting it eat him alive.

"Yet it turned out to be fatal, didn't it?" Harry asked. "You're wrong when you say I couldn't have prevented it. I could've stopped it before it even started. I could've said no when Neville asked me to meet with him and his grandmother. Instead I manipulated Rabastan into taking me."

"Alright, maybe you shouldn't have done that," she gave him. "But you couldn't have known the day would turn out that way. You were just trying to help a friend. It's the same thing you were doing when you cast the spell that took that man's life. You were protecting yourself and Neville. If you hadn't done that, one or both of you would be dead."

"Instead, someone else died by my hand. I don't even know what happened after that. Rabastan whisked me away right after it happened. I don't know what happened after that. Did the aurors show up? Are they looking for me now?" Harry asked. Well, he knew they were looking for him. They had likely been looking for him this whole time, but now they could be looking to arrest him. He couldn't really blame them if they were.

"Well, I don't know about that, but they know who you really are. Who your parents are. It's all over the Prophet," Hermione said.

"Then they must know," Harry deduced.

"What they know and what they think doesn't matter. They're all a bunch of prejudiced idiots!" Hermione said angrily.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "I take it they weren't very kind to me in the paper? When are they ever? At least this time, they're right."

"No, they're not! When are going to get it? It wasn't your fault. You are no more responsible for what happened yesterday than a muggle soldier who fires a gun off at enemy soldiers," Hermione said. Actually, that was exactly how she saw the death eaters. They were enemy soldiers they were at war with. That's what Harry had been forced to be yesterday. A soldier defending what he believed in as well as his life.

"Whoever said I wanted to be a soldier? Maybe it is what I was, but it's now who I want to be. I don't want to be a man who takes lives, even if it is for the right reason. Honestly, I just want the last month to have never happened. I want my life back to the way it was before," Harry said. Life was so much simpler when he was the son of James and Lily Potter. Yes, he was an orphan, but he knew who he was. He had friends and people he called family. He wasn't a pariah of the magical world and he certainly wasn't a killer.

"I know. I'm sorry, Harry, but that's just not going to happen," Hermione said sadly.

"Look, I'm grateful that you came, but you should go. Go home and forget about me, okay? It'll be better that way," Harry said.

"That's not going to happen. I'll leave the room if that's what you want, but I'll be here in this house when you're ready to talk. I told your parents that I would help you thought this and that's exactly what I intend to do." When he didn't respond, Hermione got up and left the room. Bellatrix Lestrange was waiting for her when she got into the hall.

"Well?" Bella asked.

"He's not ready to listen to me," Hermione said.

Bella nodded. "Yes, well, I figured it would take more than an hour. Come with me. I'll show you to a room.

Hermione was reluctant, but followed the woman down the hall.


	35. Chapter 35

Draco followed Severus down to his lab. "So why's the mudblood here?"

Severus glared daggers at his godson. "What did I tell you about using that word in my presence?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "No offense, Uncle, but if you don't like the word, you're in the wrong house. No one here likes mudb… I mean muggleborns. Aunt Bella's going to have a fit when she finds out."

"For your information, she already knows," Severus told him before going over to his ingredient cabinet. He figured that rather than obsess about what was going with his son, he might as well do something constructive.

"She does? She actually allowed that?" Draco asked in shock. His aunt hated mudbloods with a passion. She made no attempt to hide it.

"You'd be amazed at what a parent will do for the wellbeing of their child, Draco. Bella would allow the entirety of Gryffindor house in here if she thought it would help pull Harry out of his depression," Severus explained. Draco was right that Bella didn't like the Granger girl being in her home, but she would tolerate it for Harry's sake.

"I wouldn't know what that's like," Draco said sadly. His parents would never have done for him what his aunt and uncle were doing for Harry. Well, maybe his mother would now, but it was a bit late now.

Severus walked over and put a hand on his shoulder. "Your mother loves you, Draco."

"Yeah, I know, but not the same way Aunt Bella loves Harry. At least not until recently. And my father couldn't care less. He practically sold me to the Dark Lord without hesitation. Loyalty to him was more important than me," Draco said as he looked down.

"You were done a grave injustice, there's no denying that," Severus said. He knew that Narcissa loved her son very much and she tried to do right by him, but Draco was right. The truth was that for many years, she too but the Dark Lord and Lucius before him. There was no excuse for him. Merlin help him if he ever chose someone else over his son.

"It doesn't matter. I'm fine. So do you think Granger will be able to help Harry?" Draco asked trying to change the subject. He no longer wanted to talk about his childhood. He wasn't sure why he brought it up to begin with.

Severus of course recognized the obvious attempt to change the subject, but he decided to let it happen. "I don't know. Probably not right away, but maybe given time."

"Why does it upset him so much? That guy was going to kill him," Draco said.

"Why did you have such a hard time with the prospect of killing Dumbledore?" Severus countered.

"That was different. Dumbledore didn't attack me first. What I was going to do would've been murder," Draco said.

"It doesn't matter. Taking a person's life is life changing, no matter what the circumstances. You can't take a life and pretend it never happened. It stays with you forever," Severus said.

"I just don't get it," Draco said. He knew killing someone was a big deal, but he just felt it was different if you had no choice. It shouldn't be crushing his cousin like it was.

Severus sighed. "Frankly, Draco, I'm glad you don't."

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Later that afternoon, Severus decided to go to Diagon Alley. After going through his inventory, he realized he was short on potion supplies. He was just getting to the apothecary shop when he heard a voice call out to him.

"Professor Snape."

Severus turned around and was surprised to see Neville Longbottom coming his way. "Longbottom."

"H…hi, Professor. H…how is Harry," Neville asked nervously. He was still extremely anxious around Snape, but he wanted to know about Harry and the professor was the best person to ask.

Severus sighed. "He's had better days."

Neville nodded sadly. He wasn't surprised to hear that Harry wasn't doing well. He knew his friend wouldn't respond to the accidental killing of that death eater. "I figured. Is he going to be alright?"

"Hopefully in time," Severus said.

"Alright. Please let him know that I'm thinking about him," Neville requested before turning to leave.

"Neville," Severus called, using the boy's first name for the first time ever.

Neville turned around and looked at his former professor in shock. That was the first time the man had ever used his first name. Hell, as far as he knew, it was the first time he'd used any student's first name who wasn't a Slytherin. Well, with the exception of Harry of course.

"I saw the article in the Prophet. I know what you did," Severus said. He knew that the Longbottom boy had lied to the Aurors and told them that he killed that death eater. He'd saved Harry from being more of target for the Wizarding World than he already was. They hadn't batted an eyelash to Longbottom's story of self-defense, but they would if Harry had been the one to tell it, for no other reason than because of who his parents were. "I don't know why you did it, but thank you."

Neville shrugged. "I figured Harry had enough to deal with right now. Half of our world already thinks he's dark because of who he is and most of the other half want him dead. I just figured this was one thing I could do to make things better."

"It's much appreciated, especially given the circumstances," Severus said. Longbottom had every reason to hate Harry and be a part of the half of the world that believed him dark, but instead he was one of the few people that stood by him. It gave Severus a new respect for the boy he once considered a reckless imbecile.

"The circumstances don't matter when it comes to Harry. He did nothing wrong. My grandmother does though. She seems to think that Harry put that whole ambush in motion," Neville told him.

Severus scowled. That was the most ridiculous thing he ever heard. What happened had not benefited Harry one bit. It had left him barely able to function because the pain and guilt was so great."

"I told her she was barmy. It was so clear that Harry was the target of that attack. What Harry and Lestrange did is the only reason I'm alive," Neville said. That still threw him for a loop. Rabastan Lestrange had saved his life. It was just weird to think about. "Anyway, will you tell him I'll write to him soon, sir?"

Severus nodded and headed for the apothecary shop.


	36. Chapter 36

The next morning, Hermione was eating breakfast with Harry and his family. Needless to say things were a bit awkward. After all, almost everyone in the house hated her very existence. Despite that though, it hadn't been too terrible. Bellatrix had kept her promise. No one attacked her or fought with her. They'd mostly left her alone. She'd only even heard the word 'mudblood' once. It was from Malfoy of course and Professor Snape had made him apologize.

That had truly shocked Hermione. She'd never seen Professor Snape scold a Slytherin for anything. He always let them get away with whatever they'd done and instead blamed the other party, usually Gryffindors. Though she supposed it might be different now that they weren't at school.

Hermione's thoughts were cut off by Bella's voice. "Harry, maybe you should show Mrs. Granger around the Manor after breakfast."

"I figured someone would've done that already," Harry said. Hermione had arrived yesterday. He was sure someone would've given her some kind of tour since then.

"A brief tour, but perhaps a more in depth one would be good. It might do you some good too. I don't want you spending every moment of your time in your room sulking," Bella told him.

"Fine," Harry agreed. He didn't have the strength to argue. It if would get everyone to leave him alone, he'd do it.

Bella sighed. She did not like her son's reaction. She would actually prefer he fight with her. She was used to that. It meant his spirit was still intact. This quiet, broken down attitude frankly frightened her.

Harry put his fork down and pushed his plate away. "I'm done."

"You've barely touched your breakfast," Severus said.

"I'm not hungry," Harry responded.

"I'm finished as well. Do you want to go now?" Hermione asked Harry.

Harry nodded and stood up before leading the way towards the stairs.

Bella watched her son and his friend leave before glaring over at her brother-in-law. Every time she saw her son this way, she felt the overwhelming urge to murder the man. "Rabastan, you better pray that girl can turn him around because if she can't, I'll kill you," she said before getting up and walking out of the room.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Harry showed Hermione to the library first. He figured that was where she'd spend most of her time anyway. Their library put the Hogwarts library to shame, so she would be in heaven. "This is the library obviously.

Hermione gaped in amazement as she looked around the library. It was huge, much bigger than the one at school. Having access to a place like this would be like a dream come true for her.

"Impressed I see," Harry commented.

"This is amazing, Harry. You must have every book known to man here. Well, wizarding books anyway," Hermione said. She was sure there wouldn't be a muggle book in sight. The Lestranges wouldn't be caught dead with a muggle book in their home.

"Yeah, we probably do. I've looked at quite a few I never even heard of before. I spent a lot of time in here when I first got here. I wanted to spend as little time around the others as possible," Harry said.

"Has that changed?" Hermione asked.

"A lot of things have changed," Harry said quietly.

"I'll say. I never thought I'd be in the same house with the Lestranges without wands drawn," Hermione said.

"Yeah, neither did I," Harry said as he sat down at one of the large rectangular tables.

Hermione sat down next to him. "How exactly did you end up here, Harry. I never did get that story."

"Well, when I found out the whole truth, I was angry. Actually, anger doesn't quite cover it. I was furious. Not just at what Dumbledore and McGonagall did, but at who my parents turned out to be. I went to Headquarters and started tearing the place apart. That turned out to be a big mistake, one the death eaters were waiting for me to make. Two showed up and started torturing me. They used the Cruciatus Curse on me repeatedly. Then Bella showed up. If you thought Mrs. Weasley was bad when she was pissed off, you've never seen Bella in action. She's more dangerous than Mrs. Weasley can even hope to be. Anyway, she tortured and killed one of the death eaters and brought me back here," Harry explained.

Hermione wasn't sure whether she should be grateful or disturbed. While torture certainly didn't sit well with her, those two men had been hurting Harry and Bellatrix saved him. Hermione couldn't be sorry about that.

A light bulb seemed to go off in Hermione's head. She had an idea of how to get Harry to possibly see that killing that man wasn't as horrible as he seemed to think. Of course it could backfire. It all depended on the depth of Harry's feelings for his mother. It also might be a tad bit dangerous for her since she would technically be breaking her promise to Bellatrix, but she was willing to risk the woman's ire to help Harry. "She tortured a man to death? That's monstrous!"

Harry frowned. For some reason hearing Bella being called a monster didn't sit well with him, even if he had thought of her that way in the past. "He was torturing me."

"She could've called for aurors," Hermione said.

"What would the aurors do? They don't care about her or me. They certainly didn't care when Dumbledore and McGonagall kidnapped me and they don't care now either. All they can do is call me dark. Again!" Harry yelled.

"Well, torture and murder isn't the answer. Killing is wrong. It's evil," Hermione said.

"Stop it! You don't know what you're talking about! She was trying to protect me! That's all she's ever done!" Harry said fiercely. It was hard to believe he was actually defending Bella. He hated her, or at least that's what he told himself. Yet, the urge to defend his mother was just so natural. He couldn't help it.

"So you don't think she's evil? You don't think she's horrible?" Hermione asked.

"No!" Harry yelled. Again, he was shocked by his own words, but he found he meant them. He had more than his fair share of issues with his mother. He resented her deeply and he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to love her after what she did to Sirius, but she wasn't some incorrigible person with no redeeming qualities.

"Then why do you think you are?" Hermione asked.

Harry just stared at her speechless for a few moments. He wasn't expecting her to come out with that. Obviously that was her plan the whole time though. She was trying to make a point. The point being that if Bella wasn't evil for what she did, neither was he.

"You just defended your mother for killing a man who tortured and planned to take you to your death, as well you should, but why won't you give yourself that same consideration?" Hermione asked.

"I…"

"What you did was an accident, Harry. You didn't mean to kill anyone and you were only trying to protect yourself and Neville. What is it about that that makes you irredeemable?" Hermione asked.

Harry opened his mouth to speak, but found he didn't have an answer. Every member of his family had done worse than him and yet he didn't see them as evil. Well, not anymore anyway. So what made him worse? "I don't know. I just know that that man shouldn't have died."

"If he hadn't, you would've, Neville too. Would that have been better? Would it have been better for your mother to let you be tortured and captured?" Hermione asked.

"No," Harry replied quietly.

"Was there anything else you could've done to protect yourself that night?" Hermione asked.

Harry thought for a second. He thought back to that night with Neville and the death eater. The man had just hit Neville with a blasting curse. He would've kept trying to attack them. Harry had to do something. And he'd used a usually none lethal spell. There was truly nothing less confrontational he could've done. "No. No, there wasn't. But it still hurts. I still wish he hadn't died."

"That's fine, Harry, but you have to stop killing yourself over this. There was nothing else you could've done. You're not a murderer," Hermione said.

"I…I need to be alone. Do you think you can get back on your own?" Harry asked

Hermione nodded. She could tell that her friend was on information overload and needed some time to absorb it all.

Harry immediately stood up and headed out of the room.


	37. Chapter 37

Naturally, Hermione spent a couple of hours in the library after Harry left. Then she headed back towards the room she was staying in. On her way there, she ran into Bellatrix in the hall.

"Hello, Ms. Granger. Where's Harry?" Bella asked

"I think he went back to his room. He wanted to be alone," Hermione told her.

Bella sighed unhappily. She was hoping to keep Harry out of his room for a while. She didn't want him sulking in there every moment of the day.

"No, it's not what you think. It's not like he's been. I think I might have gotten through to him," Hermione said.

A tiny bit of hope began to flow through Bella's body, but she didn't allow it to show. "Really."

"Yes, but unfortunately, I had to break my word to you to get through to him," Hermione said. She had promised the woman that she wouldn't speak negatively about her or her family to Harry.

Bella raised an eyebrow to tell her to go on.

Hermione hesitated in going on. Bellatrix might not be a loyal death eater, but she was still extremely frightening. "Um, we got to talking about how he ended up here. He told me about the death eater you killed. I decided to use it, put him in the position to defend you."

"He defended me?" Bella asked surprised. She wouldn't have expected that. Harry had made no secret of his fury at her for what she did to Sirius and the Longbottoms. She would've thought he would agree with whatever the Granger girl had said.

Hermione nodded. "He said you were only trying to protect him. He basically said that you did nothing wrong. That's when I turned it around to ask him why he thought his own actions were so unforgivable."

"That was quite a gamble you took, Ms. Granger. It could've very easily blown up in your face," Bella said in an emotionless tone.

Hermione nodded. "Yeah, it was, but sometimes you have to take big risks for the people you care about. I saw my opening and I took it."

"Spoken like a true Slytherin. You're pretty devious for a muggleborn," Bella said.

Hermione wasn't sure how to respond to that. "Um, I, uh… I…"

Bella chuckled. "Take it as a compliment, Ms. Granger. It was meant as one," she said before walking away.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Harry was laying on his bed thinking about everything Hermione had said to him when he heard a knock on his already open door. He turned to see Rabastan there.

"Hey. Can I come in?" Rabastan asked.

Harry simply nodded. He didn't trust his voice with the man right now. He still felt really bad about tricking the man. Especially since he knew that everyone else was giving him hell for it. Just because he was out of sorts didn't mean he didn't see the glares sent in Rabastan's direction.

Rabastan walked inside and went over to Draco' bed and sat on the edge. "I wanted to apologize. I never should've taken you out that day. I should've known better. And because I was so stupid, your life has been changed forever."

"What?" Harry asked in shock. He couldn't believe Rabastan was blaming himself. He wasn't the one who killed that man. Harry was. He was also the one that convinced Rabastan to take him out in the first place. Killing that man, self-defense or not, was solely on his hands. "Why are you apologizing to me? I'm the one who convinced you to take me. I'm the one who didn't listen when you said to leave. I'm the one who took that man's life. You didn't do anything."

"No, I knew it was wrong to take you out that day, or else I would've told Bella what I was doing. I knew she would've said no, but I did it anyway," Rabastan said.

"Because, I tricked you. I used you," Harry confessed. "I knew what buttons to push to get you to take me. I used your guilt over what happened to Neville's family, and your desire to have a relationship with me, to get you to do what I wanted."

"Yeah, but I let you. Somewhere inside me, I know what you were doing. I let it happen when I shouldn't have. I was supposed to be the adult. I should've seen your attempt to fool me for what it was. I should've told you no. But I didn't and that's on me," Rabastan said.

"I shouldn't have put you in the position to say yes or no. I'm sorry for that. You'll never know how sorry I am," Harry said. He wished with everything in him that he hadn't tricked Rabastan into taking him to meet the Longbottoms. He wished that he had never left the house. If he hadn't, that man would still be alive.

"I'm sorry too. What happened that day never should've happened, but I feel I have to tell you that it wasn't your fault. I know a lot have people have been telling you that, but I wanted you to hear it from me too," Rabastan said.

"Can I ask you something?"

Rabastan nodded.

"How do you live with it? How do you get up every day and not want to die knowing what you've done?" Harry asked. It wasn't a criticism. That was just how he felt every day. Even know after questioning his culpability in it after talking to Hermione, he still felt like the guilt would crush him.

Rabastan took a deep breath. "I'm not going to lie to you. There is nothing that haunts you more than taking someone else's life. That debilitating guilt you feel, I felt it the first time. I honestly thought it would swallow me whole. The only thing that kept me going was the prize. The possibility of bringing you home and seeing my brother and Bella smile again. Anything was worth that."

"You said after the first person you killed. Does that mean it gets easier?" Harry asked. He didn't know how he felt about that. Taking a life didn't seem like something that should get easier. It was something that should feel awful every single time.

"More like you get used to what it does to you. Don't get me wrong here, Harry. The guilt never really lessens. I remember the face of every single person I killed. I carry the guilt of their deaths every single day. But you're different than me. You took the life of a person that was trying to kill you and a friend of yours, not to mention the fact that the spell you used was designed to be non-lethal," Rabastan said.

"I'm starting to understand the difference. It was recently pointed out to me that what I did was no different than what Bella did to save me from Crabbe. Actually, it was better because I didn't mean to kill anyone. But it still hurts to know what I did," Harry said. That was the thing. No matter what happened and no matter how far his actual culpability went, he still took that man's life and it still hurt like hell. He didn't know how to move on from it.

Rabastan nodded in understanding. "It probably always will, but you'll get through it. It'll be the hardest thing you've ever done, but you will learn to live with what happened."

"I know. I'm just not sure how right now," Harry said.

"You'll take it one day at a time. That's all you can do," Rabastan said before standing up. "Alright, I'm going to go. If your mother finds me in here so soon after what happened, she might curse me again."

Harry managed to crack a smile. "Thanks."

Rabastan started to walk out of the room but stopped just as he reached the door. "Oh, and Harry. I don't know if this will help you to know, but that man would've died that night either way. If you hadn't killed him, I would've. He wasn't going to make it out of that café alive," he said before walking out.


	38. Chapter 38

Severus was in his lab working on his potions. He needed to take his mind off of what was going on with his son and brewing was the best way he knew to distract himself.

Severus was busy cutting up ingredients when he heard a knock at the door. "Enter."

Seconds later, Harry entered the room and walked over.

Harry's presence was surprising to Severus, but not at all unwelcome. "Hi. I didn't expect to see you down here today."

"Me either," Harry said.

"Where's Miss Granger? Severus asked.

"I left her in the library a while ago. I imagine she stayed there for a while. She might even still be there. What are you brewing?" Harry asked.

"Draught of the Living Death," Severus answered.

"Can I help?" Harry asked. If anyone had told him a few months ago that he'd be willingly assisting with a potion, he would've said they were crazy. Then again, he would've said the same if someone had told him he'd be having civil conversations with Draco Malfoy and Severus Snape, and that he'd be living in Lestrange Manor. He rather liked potion brewing though. He felt oddly relaxed while doing it.

Severus nodded and handed him his knife. "You can start cutting."

Harry took the offered tool and did as his father told him.

Severus, meanwhile, began preparing his cauldron by heating it up.

"Can I ask you something and have you answer honestly? Like you would've before you knew I was your son?" Harry asked.

"Of course," Severus said.

"Am I a monster for what I did?" Harry asked. He had listened to every word Hermione had said and he had started to realize that things weren't how he originally saw them to be, but he needed to hear it honestly from his father. He'd heard it from Bella, but it wasn't the same. She had a lot of blood on her hands, so the answer might be different for her than Severus.

"No! It is not monstrous to defend yourself and the people you care for. You are not a monster. After all the things you've done and the people you protected, you could never be a monster," Severus told his son.

"I've started to see that a little more. I guess I just needed to hear you say it. Even if I'm not a monster though, I still killed a man. I can't ever make that go away," Harry said.

"No, you can't. But it wasn't cold blooded though. You didn't intend to kill him. You used a disarming spell," Severus said.

Harry nodded. "Yeah. I've used that spell so many times in the past. I used it on you once. It sent you back just like it did him."

Severus sighed. He knew where his son was going with this. "Harry…"

"I could've killed you then," Harry said gravely.

"But you didn't. I am very much alive," Severus said.

"But it could've killed you. It could've been just as lethal as the Killing Curse. I didn't realize that then. I didn't realize until after that man died that I could've killed my own father," Harry said. That part was affecting him too. He'd knocked his father out that night and didn't even bat an eyelash. He was very aware now of how bad it could've ended.

"You were thirteen-years-old and had not been taught that dangers come with every spell, even that of a simple disarming spell. To be fair though, I'm not sure anyone has ever killed using that spell before," Severus said.

"Great, I'm special in yet another way that is horrible," Harry said sarcastically.

"So is Miss Granger the reason you're starting to see the light?" Severus asked.

Harry smiled. "Of course. She always manages to make me see the light, even when it seems impossible."

"Lily was the same way," Severus said. His eyes then began to darken as he thought about her betrayal. She was supposed to be his friend and she'd turned her back on him. Yes, he had done some awful things, but none of them justified her keeping his son away from him.

"Hermione's nothing like her. She would never steal someone else's kid just because she didn't like them," Harry said. It was a bit strange for him to feel such contempt for Lily Potter. After all, it was just a few months ago when he still longed to know her. Now he hated her. She had helped to take him from his family. Merlin only knew how much different his life would've been had he been allowed to grow up where he was supposed to.

"Yes, I believe you're right about that," Severus said. The Granger girl would never betray Harry like Lily had betrayed him. She'd proved that by standing by Harry. Hell, she'd even been willing to come to house with people she knew hated her very existence just to help him. She would never turn her back on him.

"I don't know what I would do if she had turned her back on me. I'm glad I don't have to find out," Harry said. He wouldn't have been able to stand it if he lost Hermione's friendship. Ron's betrayal was bad enough. He wouldn't have been able to handle Hermione too.

Just then there was a knock at the door.

"Enter!" Severus called for the second time. This time when the door opened, he glared. It was Rabastan. "What do you want?"

Rabastan hesitantly approached him. 'Um, you've got a letter, Severus. It's marked as urgent."

Severus frowned before taking the letter. He opened it up and began reading.

_Severus, _

_I need you to meet me at Hogwarts as soon as possible. There is a situation that as Harry's father you need to be aware of. Please come right away._

_Remus_

"What's wrong?" Harry asked. He could tell something was. His father was good at hiding distress, but he could see in the older man's eyes that something wasn't right.

"Lupin wants to meet with me," Severus said. He wouldn't deny it. Harry deserved to know what was going on, especially if it involved him, which it seemed to.

"Why? Is he okay?" Harry asked worried.

"He appears to be. He was alright enough to write this letter anyway. He says he has something he wishes to discuss with me at Hogwarts," Severus told him.

"Are you going?" Harry asked.

"Yes. And, no, you cannot come. Even if I was absolutely sure that Lupin wasn't setting trap and that it was safe from the Dark Lord, I don't trust McGonagall near you. Lupin may or may not try something, but McGonagall took you away once. I won't give her a chance to do it again," Severus said. Normally, he probably would've let Harry make the decision, but they were not living in a normal world right now. There was a crazy dark lord out there intent on killing his son. They could not take chances.

Harry was a little disappointed, but he expected the answer. He wouldn't argue, nor would he try to get around his father. The last time he'd done something even remotely similar, a man died at his hand. He wouldn't let that happen again. "Will you tell me what happens?"

"If it involves you, yes," Severus promised.

"Okay," Harry said.

"If you'd like to continue down here, I can have Draco come down and help you," Severus said. It wasn't that he didn't trust his son in his lab; he just knew Harry didn't have a lot of experience with successful potions brewing. He didn't want an accident to happen.

"Yeah, I'd like that," Harry said. He would continue with the potion. He hoped it would take his mind off of what was happening.

Severus nodded and started out of the room, followed closely by Rabastan.


	39. Chapter 39

Severus stormed through the doors of the Great Hall where he found Lupin, Tonks, McGonagall, the Weasley twins, Luna Lovegood, and Neville Longbottom. "Well, it appears this is a party. Would someone like to tell me why I was invited?"

"Severus, we have a problem," Remus said.

"Of course there's a problem, Lupin. The same problem we've had for the past three years. There's a power crazy dark lord on the loose. Not tell me what's going on quickly. I left two teenage boys in charge of my potion, both of whom are prone to fighting with each other," Severus grumbled. Okay, so that wasn't entirely true. Harry and Draco had made a lot of strides in their relationship with each other. But he didn't want to be where he was right now, so he decided to overdramatize the situation.

"Yes, well, it seems that power crazy dark lord has decided on a new course of action to get to Harry," Remus said.

Severus raised an eyebrow. "And what would that be?"

"We believe he's going after Harry's friends. That's why the twins, Luna, and Neville are here. We believe they're in significant danger," Tonks said.

Okay, now they had Severus' full attention. There had to be reason for them to think that for them to take such action, especially since he was pretty sure Longbottom would rather be caught dead than be in McGonagall's presence sooner than necessary. "And what would bring you to that conclusion?"

"The Grangers were attacked last night," Remus said.

Severus did his best to keep his face blank, but it was difficult since the Granger girl was currently at Lestrange Manor with Harry. "What?"

"Yeah. Mr. and Mrs. Granger were killed and Hermione is missing. We think she was abducted," Remus said.

The children in the room looked very somber and grave at the prospect of their friend being held hostage by Voldemort.

Despite what everyone might believe, Severus was not heartless. He wouldn't allow these people to believe that the Granger girl was being tortured and raped somewhere. "She wasn't. I picked Miss Granger up yesterday to come spend time with Harry. She's been with us ever since."

The twins, Neville, and Luna all visibly relaxed. They were glad to know their friend was at least safe from the clutches of the death eaters.

Minerva, however, glared at Severus. "You brought that poor girl to a house with the Lestranges? Are you insane?"

Severus glared daggers at the woman he hated like none other. "Would you rather I have left her there to be snatched or killed by the dark lord? Furthermore, you are in position to be questioning my decisions on anything!"

"Alright, this is not the time. Severus, we get that you hate Minerva, but we have bigger problems right now. Are you sure Hermione is safe?" Remus asked.

"Quite. No one knows where Lestrange Manor is, not even the dark lord. It's frankly safer than this place. She's perfectly safe. Though safe and alright will be two different stories after she learns of this," Severus said. He had no doubt that the Granger girl would be devastated when she learned of what happened to her parents. Harry too. He was going to blame himself for this big time. To most that would seem insignificant compared to Granger's pain, but Harry was his son. It was him that he worried for the most.

"Yes, I'm sure this is going to be very hard for her. She'll need Harry to help her through this. Do you think the Lestranges will allow her to stay within their protection?" Tonks asked. A few weeks ago, she would've smacked herself for even uttering those words, but everything that she knew about the Lestranges seemed to be false.

"Definitely," Severus said. After what Miss Granger had done for Harry, he had no doubt that he could convince Bella and Rodophus to allow her to stay indefinitely. "What about the others? What will you do with them?"

"They'll stay here of course," Minerva said.

"Not bloody likely! I'm not staying here with you," Neville said. He didn't care how much danger he was in. He was not spending the remainder of his summer in McGonagall's presence. Hell, he was even considering not coming back for the school year.

"Longbottom, don't be an idiot. Do you not understand the danger you're in?" Severus asked.

Neville glared at him for the first time in his life. There was no trace of the fear he used to feel for him. "Do you not understand that I hate that woman?!"

"Oh, I understand perfectly. Believe me, you are not alone in that. But don't squander your own life because of it. What sense does that make? It's certainly not going to hurt her if you're killed. It will hurt the people that care about you though, such as your grandmother and my son and Miss Granger. You really going to allow that to happen because of her?" Severus asked.

Neville sighed and looked away. He hadn't really thought about that. He was just so angry at the prospect of being anywhere near McGonagall. He hadn't really thought about what would happen to his friends and family if something happened to him. The professor was right, that wasn't fair. He knew what it was like to lose someone he loved. It was selfish of him to do that to someone else. "Fine, but she stays the bloody hell away from me."

"Don't worry, Neville. The nargles will keep her away," Luna said.

"We'll stay too," the twins said before looking over at Minerva with an evil glint in their eyes.

Severus couldn't resist a smirk. For the first time, he was actually happy at the idea of those two pulling their pranks. He only wished he could be there to see what they came up with.

"If that's all, I need to get back. I have to inform Harry and Miss Granger of what's happened," Severus said. That was one conversation he was not looking forward to. It was going to break both teens in different ways. Miss Granger would be devastated at the news of her parents' demise and Harry was going to feel a massive amount of guilt.

"One more thing, Severus. The Ministry knows about Harry," Tonks said.

"Yes, I know that, Miss Tonks. I read the Prophet. I can't say I'm very surprised by the way they reacted," Severus said. The Ministry had listed Harry as potentially dark wizard. It had pissed Severus off to no end, but he wasn't shocked by it.

"Does Harry know?" Remus asked.

"No, not yet. He has enough on his plate right now, and I'm about to add to it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must be going," Severus said before turning around and walking out of the room.


	40. Chapter 40

Severus made his way through Lestrange Manor. He walked into Bella's study and found her there with Rodophus.

"Well, it's about time. What happened with the werewolf?" Bella asked. Severus had told her about the letter he received right before he left.

"Are the boys still in my lab?" Severus asked.

Bella nodded. "I just checked on them a few minutes ago. They finished the one they were working on and have moved onto a PolyJuice potion. What is going on?"

Severus sighed. "The Dark Lord has stepped up his plan to get to our son. The Grangers were killed last night."

Both Rodophus' and Bella's mouths dropped open. "What?" Rodophus asked.

"The Order thinks that the Dark Lord has decided to get to Harry by killing his friends. It's only by a stroke of luck that Miss Granger was here instead of at home. She surely would've been killed had she been there," Severus said.

"In which case, Harry would've been caused even further turmoil. He's trying to draw him out," Bella said through gritted teeth. She was unbelievably pissed right now. That halfblooded bastard was causing her son more pain at every turn. She really just wanted to end this bastard's pathetic existence.

"We may have that problem anyway. Finding out that the Grangers were killed is going to wreck Harry. He's going to be racked with even more guilt upon hearing this. And that's just him. Miss Granger is going to be devastated by the news of her parents' demise," Severus said.

Bella nodded. She felt for the Granger girl as well. Most of the time she wouldn't care less about a mudblood or her family, but this young girl had dropped everything to help her son through a terrible time. Bella was grateful to her for that, and after the way she'd helped Harry, she'd almost been willing to say she liked her. So, yes, she felt bad for the girl.

"I'm going to get Harry. I think we should tell him before the Granger girl," Rodophus said.

Severus and Bella both nodded their agreement and watched him leave the room.

"I told Lupin that Miss Granger could stay here. Under the circumstances, I think it's for the best," Severus said.

Bella nodded. She agreed with that. She certainly wasn't going to kick the girl out to get killed, especially after what she had done for Harry. "What about Harry's other friends? What's happening with them?"

"They're staying at Hogwarts. Longbottom's not happy with that outcome, but he finally agreed," Severus said.

"Hogwarts will only keep them safe for so long. The Dark Lord will be able to get in if he really wants to," Bella said. Hogwarts was well protected from most, but the Dark Lord wasn't most people. He would get in with some work.

Just then, Rodophus came back into the room with Harry. "What's going on? Was everything alright with Remus?" Harry asked.

Bella motioned to the chair in front of her desk. "Sit down."

Too worried to do anything else, Harry did as he was told. "What's wrong?"

Severus took a deep breath as he prepared to tell his son the devastating news. "There was a situation last night and the Order was called.

"Who was it?" Harry asked. It wasn't hard for him to figure out the gist of what had happened. Voldemort had attacked and someone was killed. The only question was who. Every one of his friends popped into his head. Neville, the twins, Luna, and even the rest of the Weasleys. Despite the fact that they'd turned their backs on him, he still cared about them and didn't want to see them dead.

"The Grangers were attacked last night. They didn't survive," Severus said quietly.

"No!" Harry screamed before jumping up from his chair bolting for the door.

Rodophus acted quickly and grabbed his stepson before he even made it to the door. He wrapped his arms around the young boy and brought him against his chest.

Harry immediately struggled to get free. "Let go of me! I have to see Hermione!"

"You need to calm down first, son," Rodophus said as he continued to hold him firmly in his arms.

Harry continued to try to get loose to no avail.

Bella stood up and walked over to her husband and son. She grabbed ahold of her son's arm. "Look at me."

Harry struggled for another minute or so before giving up and looking at his mother. "I know what you're thinking and you need to stop."

"It's my fault," Harry said devastated. Hermione's parents were killed because of him. They were attacked as a way of getting to him.

"No! There is only one person responsible for what happened last night and that is the Dark Lord. Well, him and those that actually carried out the attack. You are in no way to blame for what happened," Bella said.

"But they did it to get to me. They did it because they couldn't get to me personally," Harry said.

"Then it's my fault, isn't it?" Bella asked.

"What?" Harry asked in disbelief. His mother wasn't making any sense. How could any of this be her fault?

"You didn't want to be here. I forced you to stay in order to protect you. So your logic suggests that this is my fault. Is that correct?" Bella asked.

"No," Harry said. No matter what he might blame his mother for, The Grangers' death wasn't one of them.

"Then it's not yours either," Bella said simply.

Severus walked over to all of them. "Harry, what's happened to the Grangers' is terrible, and it's only natural for you to feel bad, but it's not your fault. The only ones to blame are those who committed the act. And right now, Miss Granger needs you to be there for her. You can't drown in guilt right now."

Harry sighed and turned slightly to Rodophus. "Let go please. I'm alright." Well, he wasn't really alright, but he was calmer and he needed to get to Hermione and tell her what was going on.

Rodophus reluctantly released his grip on the young man.

Harry took a deep breath and started for the door.

"Harry," Bella called just as he reached the door.

Harry turned to her.

"Promise me that you'll not do anything stupid over this," Bella said.

Harry looked away and stayed silent.

"Promise me, Harry. The last thing anyone needs is for you to try to leave here and get yourself killed. That's certainly not going to help Miss Granger. Promise me," Bella said firmly.

Harry sighed and looked at his mother. "I promise," he said before walking out the door.


	41. Chapter 41

Harry walked up to the room Hermione was staying in and stopped outside the door. He wasn't sure how he was going to do this. How did he tell his best friend that while she was here trying to help him, her parents were being murdered? How did anyone explain something like that?

Harry took a deep breath to will himself to do this. He then knocked on the door.

The door was opened a few moments later by Hermione. "Harry. Come in."

Harry wordlessly walked inside.

"How are you? I haven't seen you since we spoke in the library," Hermione said.

"I…I spent a few hours in my father's lab working on some potions," Harry said.

Hermione laughed. "You willingly working on potions? I never thought I'd see the day. You've always hated potions. I guess family traits are kicking in."

"Hermione, I have to tell you something," Harry blurted out. This had to happen now. If he waited even a minute longer, he would never get it out.

Hermione finally noticed that her friend's eyes were filled with sadness and remorse. It wasn't like that morning when he was consumed with the guilt of taking a life. Somehow this seemed different. "What's wrong?"

"You should sit down," Harry said as he motioned to the bed.

Hermione looked at him for a minute and then went over and sat down on the edge of the bed.

Harry sat down next to her. "Today, my father got called to Hogwarts by Remus. There was an attack last night and Remus figured my family should know about it."

"Who was it? Who was attacked? Was it the Weasleys? Neville? Luna?" Hermione asked in a panic. From the way Harry was acting, she figured it had to be one of their friends that was attacked.

"No. It was none of them. It wasn't their homes that were attacked. It was yours," Harry said as gently as he could. He knew it wouldn't make a difference though. There was no way for him to say it that would make it easier for Hermione.

Hermione's eyes widened in horror when the reality of what Harry had told her sunk in. She got up and bolted for the door. "My parents!"

Harry quickly got up and raced in front of Hermione. He grabbed her arms in order to stop her from leaving. "Hermione, no."

"Harry, let me go! I have to go home! I have to get my parents. They could be hurt!" Hermione exclaimed frantically.

"Hermione, it was a death eater's attack. You know what they'd to muggles," Harry said. Hermione knew deep inside her that her parents were gone. She was just in denial. He couldn't really blame her for that. Who would want to accept the news that their parents were dead?"

Hermione shook her head vigorously as tears began to form in her eyes. "No. No!"

Harry immediately pulled his friend into his arms and held her tightly. "I'm sorry, Hermione. They're gone."

Hermione latched onto Harry like a lifeline and cried heavily into his shoulder. "This can't be happening. They can't be gone."

"I'm sorry," Harry said again.

Hermione pulled away from Harry and crossed the room. "I shouldn't have left them. I should've been there to protect them."

"Hermione, if you had been there, you'd be dead too, or you'd be in a cell somewhere being tortured. Being here didn't cause your parents' deaths, it just prevented yours," Harry said. For the first time, he was actually grateful for the events that happened in that diner with Neville and the death eaters. Hermione was alive because she'd come to help him. If none of that had happened, she'd be dead or worse.

"But it was me they wanted. If I had been there, they would've gotten what they wanted. Maybe they would've left my parents alone," Hermione cried. She knew it was a weak argument even as she said it. They would've most likely killed her parents anyway, but she couldn't help but try to find a way for them to have survived if she acted differently. She just couldn't believe they were gone.

"No. You know as well as I do that the death eaters wouldn't have stopped with you. They would've killed your parents because of what they were. Nothing could've saved them after Voldemort decided to have them attacked," Harry said.

Hermione went over to the bed and sat down. "It's not fair. They didn't deserve this. They didn't do anything wrong."

Harry went over and took his place next to her again. "I know. But that's how Voldemort and his fellows are, isn't it? They go after the innocent."

"Someone has to stop him, Harry. He can't keep doing this," Hermione cried before falling back into his arms.

Harry held her tightly and sighed. "Yeah. Someone does."

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Harry was laying on Hermione's bed with her in his arms. She'd cried herself to sleep a few hours earlier. He on the other hand couldn't sleep. All he could think about was what Hermione had said earlier about Voldemort needing to be stopped. She was right. He'd hurt so many people, people Harry cared about and hundreds of others. Someone had to stop him.

Harry knew his mother had her own plan of stopping Voldemort, but her plan wouldn't be fast enough. Her plan was to eliminate his followers either by killing them or by fear, but in the meantime, he was still free to keep killing. Not to mention that Bella didn't know about the horcruxes. Harry supposed it was because he'd been so overwhelmed by the whole parentage thing that he could think of nothing else. He was going to have to tell everyone though. He would have to tell about the horcruxes and the prophecy, if his father hadn't already done so.

Harry considered the prophecy. Honestly, he wasn't even sure the prophecy was about him. How could it be? He was not born to those who defied the Dark Lord three times. But the rest of it fit. He was born at the end of July and Voldemort had marked him. Unless that was just coincidental.

There was also the possibility that the prophecy wasn't real, at least not the one he was told of. After all, the source he'd gotten it from wasn't as reliable as he once thought. He didn't hear the Prophecy for himself, nor did he get it from the one he'd held in his hands at the Department of Mysteries. He'd been told what it was from Dumbledore. Dumbledore, who'd lied to him and manipulated him from the moment they met. Dumbledore was no more trustworthy than Voldemort himself. But Severus had heard part of the prophecy, and that was according Trelawney, not Dumbledore. Of course it was kind of coincidental that Trelawney just happened to encounter him and tell him that. It was possible that Dumbledore put her up to that. Harry honestly wouldn't put anything past him at this point. The only way he would really know that much was if he asked his father.

The only thing Harry did know was that a prophecy existed. He held it in his hands. Voldemort had tricked him into retrieving it. He didn't know what it said though. All he knew was the version Dumbledore gave him, which might or might not be accurate.

Harry knew he had to figure out this prophecy one way or another. It could be essential in Voldemort's destruction. To figure it out though, he would have to know a little bit more about prophecies in general. He knew next to nothing so far.

Harry carefully sat up and eased himself off the bed in a way as not to wake Hermione. He walked out of the room and headed towards Hermione's domain. The library.


	42. Chapter 42

Harry was sitting in the library surrounded by books. He had everything from books on prophecies to horcruxes. He figured that as long as he was doing research, he should find out all he could about the dark objects Voldemort had used to gain immortality.

Prophecies were what he was focusing on now. So far he'd learned that most prophecies were self-fulfilled. Of course Dumbledore had mentioned something to that affect last year. The old man was correct about that much at least. The books also said that most prophecies were vague and taken out of context, meaning that usually meant something other than what people perceived them to mean. So even if the prophecy Dumbledore told him was real, it could mean something much different than what it actually said.

Harry stopped reading and grabbed a quill and some parchment. He immediately wrote the prophecy done. He was going to take it apart bit by bit to see what else it could mean.

Harry had just finished writing when he heard someone come in. He looked up to see Draco there. "What are you doing here?

"Looking for you. It's dinner time," Draco said.

"It is? Harry asked surprised. He must have been there for hours. It was barely three when he left Hermione and they generally ate at around six. That meant he'd been researching for three hours. It certainly hadn't felt that long. "Well, I'm not hungry. I'll get something later."

"What are you doing anyway?" Draco asked before peering at one of the books. "Prophecies? Why are you interested in Prophecies?"

Harry sighed and began telling his cousin everything Dumbledore had told him about the prophecy. He figured another opinion couldn't hurt in trying to figure all this out.

Draco sat across from his cousin. "So you're saying that you're supposed to defeat the Dark Lord?"

"If the prophecy that Dumbledore told me is true and deciphered accurately. Although, if it is, I'm not sure how it can be about me. I don't exactly fit the criteria anymore," Harry said.

"So what's it say?" Draco asked.

Rather than recite it, Harry handed him the piece of paper he'd written the prophecy on. "There it is. All I really have is Dumbledore's word for it though.

"And I'm assuming he said it means that this person either has to kill the Dark Lord or be killed by him," Draco said after he finished reading it.

Harry nodded.

"And he thinks this person is you. The old man was barmy at best. This could mean anything. It says that the one to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches, but it doesn't say when. It doesn't say whether it'll be in a day in twenty years. It says he's born to those who've defied the Dark Lord three times. There are all kinds of defiance. It could be that these people said no to him three times or that they just defied his ideals," Draco explained.

Harry looked thoughtful. "That would put me back in the game. Bella never opening defied Voldemort and she certainly agreed with his feelings towards muggles and muggleborns, but she didn't agree with his beliefs that they should be murdered."

"Yeah, it could fit you, but it could fit others too. This talk about the seventh month, that could mean anyone born in July from the year 1980 to fifty years from now," Draco said as he continued to pick apart Dumbledore's interpretation of the prophecy. He had to say, he was rather enjoying himself. He only wished Dumbledore was there to see him make him look like a fool.

Harry nodded. "Neville was a possibility as well, but Dumbledore thought it was me because I was the one marked."

"Yeah, but he's taking it too literal. He assumed that the prophecy meant a physical mark, but that's not necessarily the case. It could be another sort of a mark, like leaving a young boy as an orphan, which is what Longbottom essentially became, as did many others," Draco said.

"But Voldemort didn't make Neville an orphan. My family did. It wasn't even on his orders," Harry said.

"Yeah, but no one knew that at the time. Everyone thought the Dark Lord targeted the Longbottoms. What I'm saying is that Dumbledore should've considered all the options instead of just accepting the literal interpretation of the prophecy. The real subject of the prophecy may not even exist yet for all we know," Draco said.

"If the prophecy is real, which I'm not convinced of. Dumbledore lied so much that I don't think I can believe anything he said to me. For all I know, this prophecy is a lie. I mean, I know a prophecy exists, but the only word I have that this is it is Dumbledore's," Harry said.

"Well, who supposedly discovered this prophecy? It had to come from a seer," Draco said.

"Trelawney," Harry said.

Draco scowled. "That fraud? We're spending our precious time going over this bloody thing because she said it?"

"She's made real prophecies before. I heard one myself and it came to pass. That's why Dumbledore kept her around," Harry told him.

"Oh. So did anyone hear this one besides Dumbledore?" Draco asked.

"Trelawney told me my father had, but I wonder if she may have been manipulated by Dumbledore. The way she just happened to tell me seems way too coincidental," Harry said.

"Well, that's easy to prove one way or another. You could ask him," Draco said.

"Yeah, I plan to. I just wanted to get a working knowledge on prophecies for myself first," Harry said.

Draco looked around at the books surrounding him and picked one up. "What are these other books? What's a horcrux?"

"I would've thought you'd know. I'm sure your dad knows and I would've thought he'd tell you," Harry said.

"Well, he didn't. What are they?" Draco asked.

Harry quickly explained about horcruxes and what they were used for.

"You're telling me that there are bits of that mad man's soul wondering around everywhere?" Draco asked with a freaked out look on his face.

"Yeah. Some of them have been destroyed, but not all," Harry said.

Draco opened the book that he'd picked up. "So they have to be destroyed before the Dark Lord truly can be."

"Yeah, that's why I started looking for material on it. I'm hoping to find out how to destroy them," Harry said.

"This talks about the different things that can be used as horcruxes. Bloody hell," Draco cursed.

"What is it?" Harry asked interested and slightly worried.

"Well, according to this, a horcrux can be anything, even a person. Well, the person alone couldn't be a horcrux, but you can create one within that person," Draco said.

Harry shuddered. The very thought of a human being having a piece of anyone else's soul in them was creepy and more than a little frightening.

"It's never happened before, but this says it's possible. It would be devastating to the person it was made from though, especially if they were ever in close contact with original host of the piece of soul they now inhibited. Apparently, the horcrux would react to the presence and cause its new host severe pain," Draco continued to read.

Harry began to get a horrible feeling at the pit of his stomach and subconsciously brought his hand to his scar. It couldn't be, could it? No, it couldn't be. Why would Voldemort make a horcrux from him? He wanted him dead, not alive with a piece of his soul attached. Still, what Draco had read described him. He was always in a lot of pain when he encountered Voldemort. Why else would that be? "W…what else does it say about human hosts?"

"Not much, but it does say that the horcuxes have a fierce connection to those that made them," Draco said.

Harry flashed back to all the times he'd been able to see into Voldemort's mind and vice versa. If that wasn't an intense connection, he didn't know what was. It was becoming more and more clear that he was a human host for part of Voldemort's soul.

Draco noticed the sick look on his cousin's face. "What's wrong?"

Harry jumped up and grabbed the book out of Draco's hands. "I need to see Bella?" he said before practically sprinting towards the door.


End file.
